Insect Microbiology Laboratory
Research Field
My name is Prof. Matan Shelomi (薛馬坦). I have been teaching at the Department of Entomology since 2017. I am originally from the USA [New York City], and am now a naturalized Taiwanese citizen. My native language is English, and that's my language of instruction. As an international myself, I hope to make foreign students and researchers feel welcome at NTU!
My laboratory is the Insect Microbiology Laboratory, on the 6th floor of the XueXinGuan ["Innovation Hall"]. We have the equipment necessary to culture aerobic microbes from insects and other sources, extract DNA and RNA, do PCR, and some basic microbiological tests. At NTU we also have the resources to do molecular microbiology like barcode gene sequencing to identify microbes and metabarcoding to identify microbiome components.
The current research topics of my lab, for which I am looking for interns to help on the projects, are:
- Gut microbes of understudied pest insects
- Cellulose degrading microbes from leaf-chewing insects
- Probiotics and pre-fermentation affecting black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens
I have funded my lab with grants from the NSTC and MoE, and have won awards such as the Entomological Society of America “Science Communication Award” and NTU Outstanding Teaching Award.
I got my undergraduate degree in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University and my PhD in Entomology from the University of California, Davis.
Job Description
Tasks may involve collecting insects from the field or other sources, rearing insects in the lab, dissecting insects to access their digestive tracts, preparing bacterial and fungal growth media, isolating microbes on petri dishes, testing microbes for cellulolytic activity using several means, and DNA extraction and PCR to identify microbes to species. Students with their own ideas for projects involving arthropod gut microbes are welcome!
Preferred Intern Educational Level
Bachelor's degree student or higher.
Skill sets or Qualities
Intern must be comfortable speaking in English.
Prior microbiology experience is preferable.