KATHLEEN E. JANDA

janda@hboi.edu

Research Specialist - Microbiology
Division of Biomedical Marine Research (DBMR)
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution

Kathleen Janda is a Research Specialist in the Fermentation Group of the Division Biomedical Marine Research. Kathleen received her B.A. from Canisius College, Buffalo, New York and has a Masters degree from Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. Kathleen has been with BMR for 18 years participating in over 30 collection expeditions both on HBOI's Research vessels and land-based operations. She has made over 300 collecting dives on these expeditions and is rated to dive to 150 feet. Since joining HBOI she has completed the science diving requirements and is a certified PADI Rescue Diver. When on the expeditions, Kathleen is responsible for the microbiology component of the collections, isolating the microorganisms from the sponges, sediment, and water samples taken in hopes that a microorganism is producing the active component responsible for the activity in the many bioassays. DBMR has a culture collection with over 16,000 microorganisms that have been isolated during the past 20 years. Once back in the HBOI Fermentation Lab, these microbes are fermented, extracted, and tested in the bioassays for biomedical activity.