Research interests
§ Dr. Maestre has an interdisciplinary degree in environmental science and engineering from Spain as well as extensive laboratory and field experience. His background integrates microbiology, air pollution, and biological treatment processes.
§ He has experience with multidisciplinary projects involving civil engineers, mycologists, environmental engineers, and biologists. He has supervised a M.S. student and collaborated with several engineers and scientists from various international research institutions.
§ Dr. Maestre has used molecular biology tools such as cloning and sequencing, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and high-throughput sequencing to study community structure and function, the spatial distribution of the populations, and the dynamics of the community in biological systems. He strongly believes in the use of molecular biology techniques in addition to traditional engineering tools, which allow researchers to study the basis of biological processes and to improve the design and operation of engineered processes.
§ Dr. Maestre collaborated as Postdoctoral fellow in CAEE in the DNA sequencing efforts for the "The Microbial Community of Retail Environments" study funded by the Sloan Foundation.
§ Dr. Maestre has been collaborator on the NSF-funded effort to measure and characterize the bacteria and fungi aerosolized from residential showers and to investigate the sources of the microorganisms released.
§ He is the postdoctoral fellow leading the microbial study in the HUD-funded project investigating the relationships between environmental contaminants and microbial communities in homes and the severity of asthma for rural children in Texas. Sixty homes in rural Texas are being investigated over two seasons.
§ Dr. Maestre is co-lead on the “Mapping the UTBIOME” effort to engage the UT community in the collection and analysis of environmental and microbiome samples from across the campus, involving the outdoor environment (Waller Creek) and the indoor environment. Nearly 400 participants have been involved in the eight sampling events planned in the project.
§ More broadly, he is also using conventional and novel methodologies to collect bioaerosol samples and molecular microbiology tools to characterize the fungal and bacterial communities that develop in indoor environments.
§ He has experience with multidisciplinary projects involving civil engineers, mycologists, environmental engineers, and biologists. He has supervised a M.S. student and collaborated with several engineers and scientists from various international research institutions.
§ Dr. Maestre has used molecular biology tools such as cloning and sequencing, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and high-throughput sequencing to study community structure and function, the spatial distribution of the populations, and the dynamics of the community in biological systems. He strongly believes in the use of molecular biology techniques in addition to traditional engineering tools, which allow researchers to study the basis of biological processes and to improve the design and operation of engineered processes.
§ Dr. Maestre collaborated as Postdoctoral fellow in CAEE in the DNA sequencing efforts for the "The Microbial Community of Retail Environments" study funded by the Sloan Foundation.
§ Dr. Maestre has been collaborator on the NSF-funded effort to measure and characterize the bacteria and fungi aerosolized from residential showers and to investigate the sources of the microorganisms released.
§ He is the postdoctoral fellow leading the microbial study in the HUD-funded project investigating the relationships between environmental contaminants and microbial communities in homes and the severity of asthma for rural children in Texas. Sixty homes in rural Texas are being investigated over two seasons.
§ Dr. Maestre is co-lead on the “Mapping the UTBIOME” effort to engage the UT community in the collection and analysis of environmental and microbiome samples from across the campus, involving the outdoor environment (Waller Creek) and the indoor environment. Nearly 400 participants have been involved in the eight sampling events planned in the project.
§ More broadly, he is also using conventional and novel methodologies to collect bioaerosol samples and molecular microbiology tools to characterize the fungal and bacterial communities that develop in indoor environments.