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USD 60 /hr

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Hire Amanda M.

United States

USD 60 /hr

Microbiologist | Expert in Pathogenesis, Fermentation & Host-Microbe Interactions | Scientific Writer & Communicator

Profile Summary

I am a Ph.D.-trained microbiologist with over eight years of experience in microbiology, molecular biology, and host-microbe interactions. Most recently, I served as a Research Microbiologist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), where I led projects on the development of sustainable, fermentation-based technologies using lactic acid bacteria. My research focused on the production of bacteriocins to control foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes and Streptococcus mutans, and on valorizing dairy waste for bioindustrial applications. I earned my Ph.D. in Biomedical Science (focus: Infectious Disease & Immunology) from Temple University, where I investigated how Salmonella biofilms regulate curli amyloid production and interact with the immune system. My work has contributed to a deeper understanding of bacterial pathogenesis, autoimmunity, and inflammation. I have extensive expertise in both in vitro and in vivo experimental models, including gnotobiotic mouse systems, immune profiling, confocal microscopy, and molecular techniques like qPCR, 16S rRNA sequencing, and Western blotting. With over 18 peer-reviewed publications—including in journals such as Nature Communications, PLOS Pathogens, and Frontiers in Microbiology—I bring strong writing, editing, and data interpretation skills to every project. I offer support in manuscript development, scientific editing, grant writing, technical report writing, and peer review response preparation. My dual background in both fundamental and translational research enables me to communicate complex scientific ideas clearly to diverse audiences. Whether you are preparing a manuscript for submission, developing a research proposal, or translating your science into real-world applications, I can help ensure clarity, precision, and scientific integrity throughout.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ★ Microbiology
• ★ Fluorescence Microscopy
• ★ Immunohistochemistry
• ☆ Microbiome Research
• ☆ Microbiological Assays
• ☆ Agricultural Microbiology
• ☆ Molecular Biology
• ☆ Cell Biology
• ☆ Microscopy
• ☆ Cryosectioning
• ☆ Light Microscopy
• ☆ Food Microbiology
• ☆ Dairy Science
• ☆ Pathogenesis
• ☆ Cell Culture
• ☆ Primary Cells
• ☆ Information Retrieval

Services

• Writing

Writing Non-Medical Regulatory Writing, Technical Writing, Creative Writing, General Proofreading & Editing

Work Experience

Research Microbiologist

USDA Agricultural Research Service

April 2022 - Present

Postdoctoral Researcher

Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

December 2021 - April 2022

Education

Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (BMSC Research Program: Infection Disease and Immunology)

Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

August 2016 - November 2021

BS (Biology)

La Salle University

August 2009 - May 2013

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Michael J. McAnulty, Benjamin M. Plumier, Amanda L. Miller, Peggy M. Tomasula (2025). Effect of pH adjustments on a novel micellar casein–based edible 3D printing formulation . Journal of Dairy Science.

Amanda L. Miller, John A. Renye, Jr., Adam M. Oest, Chen Liang, Rafael A. Garcia, Benjamin M. Plumier, Peggy M. Tomasula (2024). Bacteriocin production by lactic acid bacteria using ice cream co-product as the fermentation substrate . Journal of Dairy Science.

Miller AL, Nicastro LK, Bessho S, Grando K, White AP, Zhang Y, Queisser G, Buttaro BA, Tükel Ç. Nitrate Is an Environmental Cue in the Gut for Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Biofilm Dispersal through Curli Repression and Flagellum Activation via Cyclic-di-GMP Signaling. mBio. 2022 Feb 8;13(1):e0288621. doi: 10.1128/mbio.02886-21. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35130730; PMCID: PMC8822344 .

Miller AL, Bessho S, Grando K, Tükel Ç. Microbiome or Infections: Amyloid-Containing Biofilms as a Trigger for Complex Human Diseases. Front Immunol. 2021 Feb 26;12:638867. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.638867. PMID: 33717189; PMCID: PMC7952436 .

Miller AL, Pasternak JA, Medeiros NJ, Nicastro LK, Tursi SA, Hansen EG, Krochak R, Sokaribo AS, MacKenzie KD, Palmer MB, Herman DJ, Watson NL, Zhang Y, Wilson HL, Wilson RP, White AP, Tükel Ç. In vivo synthesis of bacterial amyloid curli contributes to joint inflammation during S. Typhimurium infection. PLoS Pathog. 2020 Jul 9;16(7):e1008591. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008591. PMID: 32645118; PMCID: PMC7347093 .

Tursi SA, Puligedda RD, Szabo P, Nicastro LK, Miller AL, Qiu C, Gallucci S, Relkin NR, Buttaro BA, Dessain SK, Tükel Ç. Salmonella Typhimurium biofilm disruption by a human antibody that binds a pan-amyloid epitope on curli. Nat Commun. 2020 Feb 21;11(1):1007. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14685-3. PMID: 32081907; PMCID: PMC7035420 .

Nicastro LK, Tursi SA, Le LS, Miller AL, Efimov A, Buttaro B, Tam V, Tükel Ç. Cytotoxic Curli Intermediates Form during Salmonella Biofilm Development. J Bacteriol. 2019 Aug 22;201(18):e00095-19. doi: 10.1128/JB.00095-19. PMID: 31182496; PMCID: PMC6707925 .