Biographical Sketch
Ashley Grosche
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences
Rutgers University
71 Dudley Road
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8521
(848) 932-3389
FAX: (732) 932-6557
ashley.grosche@rutgers.edu
Education
2012-present Ph.D. Candidate in Microbial Biology at Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ
Graduate advisor: Costantino Vetriani (IMCS, Rutgers University, USA)
2010 – B.Sc. Marine Biology at the Rutgers University, New Brunswick NJ
2008 – A.Sc. Biology at Sussex County Community College, Newton NJ
Appointments
2014-2016: Teaching Assistantship, Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology,
Rutgers University, USA
2012 – 2014: Graduate Assistantship, Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology,
Rutgers University, USA
2010 – 2012: Manager of Deep Sea Microbiology Lab, IMCS, Rutgers University, USA
Teaching Experience
Fall 2014/2015-General Microbiology Laboratory, 11:680:390, Rutgers University, USA
Spr 2015-Microbial Diversity and Ecology Lab, 11:680:492, Rutgers University, USA
Peer-reviewed Publications
A. Grosche, H. Sekaran, I. Pérez-Rodríguez, V. Starovoytov, and C. Vetriani. (2014). Cetia
pacifica gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel chemolithoautotrophic, thermophilic nitrate-ammonifying
bacterium from a black smoker chimney at the East Pacific Rise deep-sea hydrothermal vent
system. Intl. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 65:1144-1150.
D. Giovannelli, J. Ricci, I. Pérez-Rodríguez, M. Hügler, C. O’Brien, R. Keddis, A. Grosche, L.
Goodwin, D. Bruce, K. Davenport, C. Detter, J. Han, S. Ivanova, M. Land, N. Mikhailova, M.
Nolanm S. Pitluck, R. Tapia, T. Woyke, and C. Vetriani. (2012). Complete genome sequence
of Thermovibrio ammonificans HB-1, a thermophilic chemolithoautotrophic bacterium from a
deep-sea hydrothermal vent. Stand. Genomic Sci. 7:82-90.
D. Giovannelli, A. Grosche, V. Starovoytov, E. Manini, M. Yakimov and C. Vetriani. (2012).
Galenea microaerophila gen. nov., sp. nov., a mesophilic, microaerophilic, chemosynthetic,
thiosulfate-oxidizing bacterium isolated from a shallow hydrothermal vent of Milos (Greece).
Intl. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 62(12):3060-3066.
A. Grosche, I. Pérez-Rodríguez, L. Massenburg, V. Starovoytov, R. A. Lutz, and C. Vetriani.
(2012). Phorcysia thermohydrogeniphila gen. nov., sp. nov., a thermophilic,
chemolithoautotrophic, nitrate-ammonifying bacterium isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal
vent on the East Pacific Rise. Intl. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 62:2388-2394.
Supervision of students
Mentor of 2 B.Sc. students (Research Internships on Ocean Science, Institute of Marine and
Coastal Sciences) and 1 B.Sc. George H. Cook Honors student (Rutgers School of
Environmental and Biological Sciences)
Prizes and awards
2015- Rutgers Graduate Student Conference Award $200.00
2015- Robert S. and Eileen A. Robison Scholarship Award $300.00
2014- Marine Sciences Jim O’Brien Travel Grant $1000.00
2014- Rutgers Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology Travel Award $1000.00
2012- Rutgers Research Council Grant: $1500.00
2008-2010- NJ STARS II (full tuition and fees covered at Rutgers University)
2008- Award for Excellence in Mathematics, Sussex Community College.
2006-2008- NJ STARS scholarship (full tuition and fees at Sussex Community College)
Service and other activities relevant to research proposal
2014- Facilis short course in Milan, Italy (http://www.facilis2014.unimi.it/)
2014- Participant of oceanographic expedition aboard R/V Atlantis
2014-present- Member of International Society for Extremophiles
2013-present- Participant in one NSF-SPONSORED project
2013-2014- President of Rutgers American Society for Microbiology Student Chapter
2011-2012- North Jersey Regional Science Fair Judge
2010-present- Theobald Smith Society (NJ American Society of Microbiology chapter)
Outreach and appearances in newspapers and magazines
2014- Rutgers Ocean Days One Ocean (http://coseenow.net/mare/ocean-day)
2014- “Dive and Discover Expedition 15” interviewee
(http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/expedition15/grosche.html)
2013- West Orange High School SEBS Outreach Program
2012- “Ship to Shore” interactive STEM event funded by the Consortium for Ocean
Leadership and the National Science Foundation
(http://sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu/2012/12/girl-scouts-explore-wonders-of-the-ocean-in-shipto-shore-program/)
Oral Presentations
2015- NEMPET (Northeast Microbiologists: Physiology, Ecology, Taxonomy).
Grosche, A., Giovannelli, D. and Vetriani, C.
Community Structure and Function During Biofilm Formation at Deep-Sea Hydrothermal
Vents
2014- ISE 10th International Congress on Extremophiles, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Grosche, A., Giovannelli, D. and Vetriani, C.
Tolerance to oxidative stress as a mechanism to facilitate dispersal of subsurface
microorganisms: A case study using the model bacterium, Thermovibrio ammonificans.
2012-Theobald Smith Society (NJ chapter of ASM)
Grosche, A., Aquino, L., Duffy, S. and Vetriani, C.
Phage Induction of Lysogenic Bacterial Isolates from the Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents.
2011- Theobald Smith Society (NJ chapter of ASM)
Grosche, A., Pérez-Rodríguez, A., Massenburg, L., Starovoytov, V. and Vetriani, C.
Smokin’ hot microbiology; the physiological and metabolic characterization of a
hyptherthermophilic bacterium from the deep-sea
Poster Presentations
2015- Theobald Smith Society (NJ chapter of ASM) Meeting in Miniature
Grosche, A., Giovannelli, D., Sievert, S., and Vetriani, C.
The Composition of active microbial communities in the shallow subsurface and in seafloor
biofilms at deep-sea hydrothermal vents
2011-The Fourth Annual Mini-Symposium on Microbiology at Rutgers University: Cultivating
Traditions, Current Strength, and Future Frontiers.
Grosche, A., Pérez-Rodríguez, A., Massenburg, L., Starovoytov, V. and Vetriani, C.
The Characterization of Phorcysia thermohydrogeniphila gen. nov., sp. nov., a thermophillic,
chemolithoautotrohpic bacterium from the deep-sea hydrothermal vents at the East Pacific
Rise.
2010- Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Research Poster Contest.
Grosche, A., Pérez-Rodríguez, A., Massenburg, L., Starovoytov, V. and Vetriani, C. The
Characterization of thermophilic bacterium HB-8 from the deep-sea hydrothermal vents at the
East Pacific Rise.