Tseng Lab News

Jun 2026

Alvin and Amber join the lab

May 2026

The UNLV Micro group presents an interactive exhibit on "The Bacteria All Around Us" at the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival Giant Expo.
Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at University of Minnesota
Congrats to Nassi is selected as an International Center for Professional Development SMDP Scholar!
Congrats to Nic for receiving an AY26-27 NSF EPSCoR UROP fellowship!

Apr 2026

The Tseng lab attends the ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting. Nasibeh, Austin, and Riley gave talks.
Congrats to Nasibeh and Austin for winning prizes for their talks!
Erin gives a general audience talk about biofilms at Science Cafe
Dr. Tseng receives UNLV Graduate College Distinguished Service Medallion.
Congrats to Nic for getting accepted into the UNLV REU Program!

Jan 2026

Dr. Tseng receives a UNLV TTDGRA Award to fund a graduate student in the lab for 3 years

Dec 2025

The Tseng lab turns 10 years!

Nov 2025

The Tseng lab attends the ASM Conference on Biofilms. Austin, Nasibeh, and Riley presented posters, Nasibeh gave a talk at the Early Career Symposium (that was selected for presentation at the general conference), and Erin gave a selected abstract talk!

Oct 2025

Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at University of Washington
Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at the Spatial Microbiomes Workshop

Sep 2025

In collaboration with researchers in South Dakota and UNLV (Drs. Murali and Strong), we received a 4-year NSF RII FEC to study small molecule inhibitors of P. aeruginosa biofilms!

Aug 2025

The Tseng lab attends the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting. Nasibeh gives a selected abstract talk!

May 2025

Congrats to Erin on graduating and being selected as an Outstanding Graduate!
The Tseng lab attends the UNLV GPSA Forum. Dr. Tseng receives a UNLV GPSA Outstanding Mentor Award, Nasibeh gives a selected talk at the "Inspiration, Innovation, Impact" showcase, and Erin receives a UNLV Grad College Medallion.
The UNLV Micro group presents an interactive exhibit on "The Bacteria All Around Us" at the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival Giant Expo.
Congrats to Nicolas for receiving Nevada NASA Space Grant Fellowship!

Apr 2025

The Tseng lab attends the ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting. Nasibeh, Austin, and Nicolas gave talks. Riley presented a poster.
Congrats to Nasibeh and Nicolas for winning prizes for their talks!
Congrats to Nasibeh for receiving a UNLV Summer Doctoral Fellowship and Patricia Sastaunik Scholarship!
Congrats to Austin for receiving a UNLV Alumni Graduate Scholarship and Patricia Sastaunik Scholarship!
Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the 2025 ASM Biofilminar

Dec 2024

Dr. Tseng gives a talk at West Coast Bacterial Physiology.

Nov 2024

Dr. Tseng gives a keynote talk at Asia Pacific Biofilms.

Oct 2024

Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at the University of Indiana, Bloomington
Erin defends her dissertation! Congrats to Dr. Cassin!

Sep 2024

Our book chapter on The Matrix Proteome is out in the Springer series on Biofilms: Biofilm Matrix!

Aug 2024

The Tseng lab attends the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting. Nasibeh and Riley present posters. Congrats to Nasibeh for winning a poster prize!

Jul 2024

Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the inaugural SuRE conference.
Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the GRC on Microbial Stress Response.
In collaboration with Drs. Diane Bimczok and Erik Yukl, we received an NIH supplement grant to study the effects of nitric oxide on biofilms.

Jun 2024

The Tseng lab attends the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology. Erin and Austin give selected abstract talks.
In collaboration with researchers in Montana and New Mexico, we received a NIH INBRE Team Science Development Project supplement to study V. cholerae biofilms!

May 2024

Cierra, Nicolas, and Ayush join the lab
Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at the Univeristy of Calgary
The UNLV Micro group presents an interactive exhibit on "The Bacteria All Around Us" at the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival Giant Expo.

Apr 2024

Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at the Loyola University
The Tseng lab attends the ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting. Nasibeh gave a talk. Erin, Riley, Mia, and Austin presented posters.
Congrats to Erin for winning a prize for her poster!
Congrats to Erin for receiving a UNLV Summer Doctoral Fellowship!
Congrats to Nasibeh for receiving a UNLV Patricia Sastaunik Scholarship!
Congrats to Nasibeh for winning a prize for her talk at the UNLV GPSA Research Forum!

Mar 2024

Dr. Tseng receives a UNLV College of Science Distinguished Service Award

Dec 2023

Congrats to Erin and Nasibeh for placing in finals of the UNLV Rebel Grad Slam 3-Minute Thesis Competition! Erin received third place and the audience choice award. Nasibeh received second place.

Nov 2023

Congrats to Mia for receiving an College of Sciences Travel Award to present her work at ABRCMS!
Mia presents her poster at ABRCMS

Aug 2023

Our NIH R16 grant is funded!
The Tseng lab attends the Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting. Erin presents a poster.
Mia presents her poster at the UNLV OUR Summer Symposium
Congrats to Mia for receiving an ABRCMS Student Travel Award to present her work at Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in November!

Jun 2023

The Tseng lab attends the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology. Erin gives a selected abstract talk and Nasibeh gives a poster.
Our OprF paper was accepted to J Bact!
Kieran joins the lab as a summer RAIN student

May 2023

Melissa defends her dissertation! Congrats to Dr. Londono!
The UNLV Micro group presents an interactive exhibit on "The Bacteria All Around Us" at the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival Giant Expo. This year we added an Agar Art component in collaboration with ASM Public Outreach and Knudson Middle School.
Our book chapter on Studying Gene Expression in Biofilms is out in the Methods in Microbiology v53: Biofilms!
Austin joins the lab

Apr 2023

The Tseng lab attends the ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting. Erin gave a talk. Nasibeh, Mia, and Vanessa presented posters.
Congrats to Erin for winning a prize for her talk!
Congrats to Nasibeh and Vanessa for winning poster prizes!
Congrats to Erin for receiving a UNLV Summer Doctoral Fellowship and Patricia Sastaunik Scholarship!
Congrats to Nasibeh for receiving a UNLV Summer Session Scholarship!

Mar 2023

Dr. Tseng receives the UNLV Barrick Scholar award
Congrats to Mia for receiving the Nevada INBRE UROP!

Feb 2023

The Tseng Lab attends the UNLV OUR Fall Symposium, and is selected as a Finalist!

Nov 2022

The Tseng Lab attends the ASM Conference on Biofilms. Biraj, Melissa, Erin, and Nasibeh presented posters, and Nasibeh is selected to give a talk at the Early Career Symposium!

Oct 2022

Congrats to Vanessa for being accepted to present her research at the St. Jude National Symposium for Undergraduate Research!
Congrats to Mia for receiving two travel awards to attend the Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM: a UNLV College of Sciences Advancing Women’s Success Travel Grant and an ERN Travel Award!

Sep 2022

Congrats to Mia for receiving Nevada NASA Space Grant Fellowship!

Aug 2022

Mia presents her poster at the UNLV REU Summer Symposium
Congrats to Melissa and Erin for their induction into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society!

Jul 2022

Dr. Tseng and Erin visit Dr. Diane Bimczok's lab at Montana State to learn more about organoids

Jun 2022

Mia joins the lab as a REU Summer Undergrad Researcher
Dr. Tseng and Melissa attend the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology. Melissa gives a selected abstract talk. Congrats to Melissa for receiving travel awards from UNLV GPSA and Graduate College to attend this conference!
Dr. Tseng and Erin attend ASM Microbe. Erin presents two posters!
Congrats to Erin for receiving an ASM Future Leaders Mentoring Fellowship!
Congrats to Erin for receiving a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Course Scholarship to attend the MDIBL Applications of Organoid Technology!

May 2022

Congrats to Vanessa on graduating!
The UNLV Micro group presents an interactive exhibit on "The Bacteria All Around Us" at the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival Giant Expo

Apr 2022

Congrats to Vanessa for winning the UNLV College of Sciences Advancing Women’s Success Travel Grant!
Vanessa gives a selected abstract talk at the West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference
Vanessa gives a talk at the UNLV OUR Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium
Congrats to Melissa and Erin for receiving a UNLV Summer Doctoral Fellowship and Patricia Sastaunik Scholarship!
Congrats to Melissa for receiving a UNLV Community Impact Graduate Student Scholarship!
Congrats to Erin for receiving a UNLV Sterling Scholarship!
The Tseng lab attends the ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting. Nasibeh gave a talk. Melissa and Erin presented posters.
Congrats to Nasibeh for winning the 3rd place prize for her talk!
Congrats to Melissa and Erin for winning honorable mention poster prizes!

Mar 2022

Congrats to Melissa for receiving the UNLV GPSA “Best of UNLV” award!
Congrats to Melissa for placing as a finalist in the West Coast Regional 3 Minute Thesis Competition!

Feb 2022

Melissa and Erin attend a Cell Culture Techniques Course

Jan 2022

Biraj joins the lab!

Nov 2021

Congrats to Melissa for winning second place in finals of the UNLV Rebel Grad Slam 3-Minute Thesis Competition, after placing first in both her preliminary and semifinal sessions!
Congrats to Erin for being receiving a 2022 K. Patricia Cross Future Leader Award!
The Tseng Lab virtually attends the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference. Melissa presents a poster with a flash talk.

Oct 2021

Congrats to Vanessa for receiving the NSF EPSCoR UROP!
Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the virtual Slimes Online Meeting, hosted by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Study Group for Biofilms

Sep 2021

Our 2-year CFF pilot grant to study P. aeruginosa mucoid reversion is funded!
In collaboration with the Data Driven Material Discovery team, we received a 2-year supplement from the NSF RII Track-2 FEC to study P. aeruginosa-induced corrosion!

Aug 2021

Dena and Vanessa present their posters at the UNLV REU Summer Symposium

Jun 2021

Congrats to Leo for landing a tenure-track position at Purdue Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering!
The Tseng lab attends the virtual Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology. Melissa, Erin, Kenesha, and Daniela presented posters.
Vanessa joins the lab as a REU Summer Undergrad Researcher

May 2021

Congrats to Dena for being named the Finalist from her poster session at the UNLV OUR Spring Symposium!

Apr 2021

Big month for the Tseng Lab!

Our HFSP Early Career Grant is funded! This grant will be a collaboration with Mack Durham, John Whitney, and Julien Bergeron.
Our MucA paper was accepted to Mol Micro!
Congrats to Dena for getting accepted into the UNLV REU Program!
Congrats to Dena for receiving the Nevada INBRE UROP!
Congrats to Melissa and Erin for receiving a UNLV Summer Doctoral Fellowship and the Patricia Sastaunik Scholarship!
Congrats to Melissa, Erin, and Dena for receiving Nevada NASA Space Grant Fellowships!
Congrats to Melissa for receiving a UNLV Community Impact Graduate Student Scholarship!
Congrats to Melissa for receiving a 2nd place talk prize at the UNLV GPSA Research Forum!
The Tseng lab attends the virtual ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting (over 3 Fridays in April). Melissa, Erin, and Leo gave talks. Daniela and Dena presented posters.
Congrats to Melissa for winning the 1st place prize for her talk!
Congrats to Erin for winning a National Membership to ASM for her talk!
Congrats to Dena for winning a W.W. Norton Book Prize for her poster!
Erin, Daniela, and Dena put together a great video entitled "The Bacteria All Around Us" as part of the virtual LV Science and Technology Festival's Science is Everywhere Day

Mar 2021

Dr. Tseng is interviewed for the Las Vegas Natural History Museum -Ologist Series

Feb 2021

Congrats to Leo for receiving a Black Trailblazers in Engineering Fellowship!

Dec 2020

Congrats to Leo for being selected as a 2020 Rising Star in Engineering in Health!
The Tseng Lab virtually attends the West Coast Bacterial Physiologists Meeting. Erin presents to a selected abstract talk!

Nov 2020

Congrats to Melissa for making it to the finals in the UNLV Rebel Grad Slam 3-Minute Thesis Competition. She placed first in both her preliminary and semifinal sessions!
Dr. Tseng gives a talk in the Harvard Microbial Sciences Initiative Thursday Seminar Series
Dr. Tseng gives a talk in the UNLV Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine Seminar Series
With Drs. Parsek and Harrison, Dr. Tseng authors a Spotlight on a Cooper lab paper on adaptive mutations in Burkholderia cenocepacia

Oct 2020

In collaboration with Dan Gerrity at the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Tseng lab receives a research grant from the Water Research Foundation to study the potential of using DNA nanostructures as viral surrogates in wastewater treatment.
The Tseng Lab virtually attends the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference. Dr. Tseng chairs a Symposium on Bacterial Adaptation and Persistence, and Melissa presents a poster with a flash talk.

Aug 2020

Kenesha joins the lab as a PhD student!
Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the Nevada INBRE Statewide Annual Meeting

Jul 2020

Congrats to Dena for receiving the NSF EPSCoR UROP!
The Tseng Lab virtually attends the Boston Bacterial Meeting. Melissa presents a poster with a flash talk.

Jun 2020

The Tseng lab receives a research infrastructure grant from the Nevada NASA Space Grant Consortium to study the effects of shear on biofilms grown under microgravity
Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the virtual Pseudomonas Seminar Series

Mar 2020

The Tseng lab receives a development research grant from the Nevada NIH INBRE Program to study matrix proteins
Congrats to Erin and Melissa for receiving the Patricia Sastaunik Scholarship!
Congrats to Erin for receiving Honorable Mention in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program competition!

Feb 2020

Leo's first set of DNA nanotubes!

Jan 2020

Leo joins the lab as the first postdoc!

Dec 2019

Congrats to Daniela on graduating and being selected as an Outstanding Graduate at the Winter Commencement by the UNLV President!
Dr. Tseng receives a UNLV TTDGRA Award to fund a graduate student in the lab for 3 years
Dr. Tseng gives the keynote at the West Coast Bacterial Physiologists Meeting

Nov 2019

Congrats to Daniela for receiving an NSF REU Student Travel Award to present her work at ABRCMS!
Daniela presents her poster at ABRCMS
Daniela gives a lightning talk at the UNLV OUR Fall Symposium

Oct 2019

Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the University of Washington Cystic Fibrosis Seminar Series
Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the NIH IDeA Western Regional Conference
Amanda's photography of Galleria autofluorescence on display at the Inquiry II: The Art of Scientific Discovery exhibit at the Jessie & Brian Metcalf Gallery in the UNLV Tam Alumni Center

Sep 2019

Congrats to Daniela for receiving an ABRCMS Student Travel Award to present her work at Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in November!
Dr. Tseng gives a talk in the UNLV Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Tseng lab presents a hands-on workshop on bacteria for Mr. Erik Andrus' 9th grade biology classes at Durango High School
Jessica, Dena, and Keith join the lab

Aug 2019

Daniela and Sunny present their posters at the UNLV OUR Summer Symposium
Dr. Tseng gives a general audience talk about biofilms at Science Cafe
Dr. Tseng discusses her career trajectory with local high schoolers at the Las Vegas STEM Youth Girls Conference

Jun 2019

The Tseng lab attends ASM Microbe. Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at the Diverse Functions of the Bacterial Cell Surface Symposium and Daniela presents a poster.
Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology
Sunny joins the lab as a REU Summer Undergrad Researcher

May 2019

For the second year, The Tseng lab presents an interactive exhibit on "The Bacteria All Around Us" at the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival Giant Expo
Congrats to Daniela for receiving a UNLV OUR SURF!
Congrats to Daniela for receiving UNLV OUR Summer Travel Funding to attend ASM Microbe 2019!

Apr 2019

Big month for the Tseng Lab!

Our 2-year CFF pilot grant is funded!
Our OprF review got accepted to JBact!
Congrats to Daniela for receiving the ASM Research Capstone Fellowship!
Congrats to Daniela for receiving the NSF EPSCoR UROP and the Nevada INBRE UROP!
Congrats to Erin for receiving the Patricia Sastaunik Scholarship!
The Tseng lab attends the ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting in Flagstaff. Melissa, Erin, and Daniela gave talks.
Congrats to Melissa for getting a 1st place prize for her talk!

Mar 2019

Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at the University of Calgary as part of a mini-symposium on biofilms
Congrats to Daniela for getting accepted into the UNLV REU Program!

Feb 2019

Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at Oklahoma State University

Oct 2018

Fares joins the lab
Daniela presents her poster at the UNLV Diversity Research and Mentorship Reception
Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at MedImmune
The Tseng lab attends the ASM Conference on Biofilms. Melissa and Erin presented posters, and Dr. Tseng chaired a session on the Synthesis, Assembly, and Function of the Biofilm Matrix.

Sep 2018

Daniel joins the lab

Aug 2018

The Tseng lab presents at the UNLV OUR Research Skills Academy: Research/Resource Fair
Alexi presents her poster at the UNLV OUR Summer Symposium
Erin officially starts as a PhD student in the Tseng lab!

Jun 2018

Congrats to Sophia for receiving the 2018 UNLV OUR Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award!
Alexi joins the lab as a REU Summer Undergrad Researcher
Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology

May 2018

The Tseng lab presents an interactive exhibit on "The Bacteria All Around Us" at the Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival Giant Expo
Congrats to Sophia, Erin, and Ken on graduating!

April 2018

The Tseng lab attends the ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. Amanda and Sophia presented posters and Melissa gave a talk.
Congrats to Melissa for getting a 1st place prize for her talk!
The ecotin paper is published and it is highlighted in UNLV Today.
Sophia gives a talk at the UNLV OUR Spring Symposium
Erin joins the lab

February 2018

Alex joins the lab

January 2018

Melissa officially starts at the first PhD student in the Tseng lab!

October 2017

First review from the lab is published!
Daniela, Morgan, and Myguan join the lab

September 2017

An NSF grant (that Dr. Tseng is a part of) to acquire a new multiphoton microscope at UNLV is funded! Read more about it here .

August 2017

Congrats to Sophia for receiving a UNLV CSUN Research Stipend!

Sophia gives a talk at the UNLV OUR Summer Symposium.
2nd Annual Tseng Lab Hike at Mt Charleston
Katie joins the lab

June 2017

Congrats to Sophia for receiving a UNLV OUR SURF!
Matt and Amanda join the lab

May 2017

Qiret joins the lab
Congrats to Melissa and Christy on graduating!

April 2017

The Tseng lab attends the ASM Arizona/Southern Nevada Branch Annual Meeting in Tucson. Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk. Lia, Melissa, Christy, and Sujata present posters on their work.
Melissa, Christy, and Sophia present posters at the UNLV OUR Spring Symposium. Congrats to Melissa for getting a 1st place poster prize in her session!
Congrats to Sophia for receiving a Nevada NSF EPSCoR UROP!
Congrats to Christy for successfully defending her undergrad honors thesis!

March 2017

Dr. Tseng and volunteers from the local ASM student chapter present a hands-on workshop on bacteria for Ms. Julie Tacker’s 4th grader class at Stuckey Elementary School
The last bit of Dr. Tseng’s graduate work gets published
The Tseng lab receives a pilot grant from the Nevada NIH INBRE Program to fund two undergraduate student research opportunities!

December 2016

Dr. Tseng receives a UNLV TTDGRA Award to fund a graduate student in the lab for 3 years

November 2016

Dr. Tseng gives an invited talk at the National Institutes of Health Lambda Lunch (the longest held seminar series at the NIH)
Melissa joins the lab

October 2016

The Tseng lab carves a pumpkin for a good cause, the UNLV Boo Bash (which is a Halloween event for underprivileged kids, not a party for Dr. Tseng)
Congrats to Christy for receiving a UNLV CSUN Research Award!

August 2016

Christy and Sujata join the lab
Jennie presents her poster at the REU and INBRE Undergrad Research Symposium
Lab bonding at Mt Charleston

July 2016

Our first CV assay!

June 2016

Dr. Tseng gives a talk at the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology
Jennie joins the lab as a REU Summer Undergrad Researcher
Shreya joins the lab as a High School Student Helper

May 2016

Cai joins the lab

April 2016

Dr. Tseng and volunteers from the local ASM student chapter present a hands-on workshop on bacteria for high school students as part of the UNLV Rebel STEM Academy
Dr. Tseng is highlighted in an UNLV New Faces article
Our manuscript on the role of quorum sensing in B. thailandensis biofilms is accepted for publication in the Journal of Bacteriology!