Harleen Tewatia (UWM ‘25) is a double major in Cell and Molecular Biology and Neuroscience and a minor in Chemistry. She has been an undergraduate research fellow in Dr. Alita Burmeister’s microbiology laboratory since 2022. During her time in the lab, she has been studying Escherichia coli’s mucoid phenotype and how it affects its resistance to bacteriophage (‘phage’) and antibiotics. Mucoid is when the bacterial cells produce an excess of exopolysaccharide, which acts as a barrier to phage and leads to increased antibiotic resistance, both of which have serious negative implications for healthcare. Harleen has also analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively how the mucoid phenotype impacts the mobility of E. coli. She has presented her research at the UWM Undergraduate Research Symposium, the UWM Biological Sciences Research Symposium, and the Milwaukee-Area Undergraduate Biological Research Conference. Harleen has won ‘Outstanding Presentation’ at the UWM Undergraduate Research Symposium and has been a SURF recipient since her sophomore year.
Harleen is excited to continue her research journey as a SERA recipient and learn more about other exciting research happening at UWM and beyond. Harleen plans to pursue an MS degree in Microbiology after her undergraduate studies, with the ultimate goal of going to medical school and becoming a physician. In her free time, Harleen enjoys going to the gym, volunteering at Columbia St. Mary’s, and spending time with friends and family. Harleen can be contacted at htewatia@uwm.edu.