About Maria Nikulkova

Maria Nikulkova is currently pursuing her PhD at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, under the mentorship of Research Scientist Jane Carlton in the Carlton Lab - Center for Genomics & Systems Biology. With a robust background in integrative biology, Maria has transitioned from an MS student to a promising PhD candidate, focusing her research on the complexities of host-parasite interactions, particularly in Plasmodium infections.

Award and Recognitions:
Maria’s academic journey is distinguished by her receipt of the prestigious Research Capstone Fellowship from the American Society for Microbiology. This award facilitated her participation in the ASM Microbe Academy for Professional Development and enabled her to present her findings at the 2019 American Society of Microbiology “Microbe” Meeting in San Francisco, CA.

Research Focus:
Her current work builds on her earlier research into integrative metabolomics, as highlighted in her publication, "Exploiting Integrative Metabolomics to Study Host–Parasite Interactions in Plasmodium Infections." This paper emphasizes the need for a multi-omics approach to better understand malaria pathogenesis and to develop targeted antimalarial therapeutics and effective control interventions.

Public Engagement:
Maria has also contributed to public understanding of microbiology through media, notably discussing the enigmatic world of microbes in natural environments like soils and bogs in the podcast episode “Mysterious Microbiology.”

New York University: New York, New York, US
2020-09 to 2026-05 | PhD Student (Biology)

University of Colorado Denver: Denver, Colorado, US
2018-09 to 2020-08 | Master of Science (Integrative Biology)

University of Colorado Denver: Denver, Colorado, US
2014-09 to 2018-05 | Bachelor of Science (Biology)