Katelyn McKindles, PhD

Education 

• Post-doc – University of Michigan
• Post-doc – University of Windsor
• Ph.D. – Bowling Green State University
• M.S. – Eastern Michigan University
• B.S. – University of Michigan - Dearborn 

Courses Taught

Undergraduate Biology Courses

Graduate Catalog

• BIO 4302 - General Microbiology
• BIO 5310 - Advanced Microbiology

Biography

Dr. Katelyn McKindles is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Baylor University and a member of the Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research (CRASR). She is an aquatic microbial ecologist whose work integrates field observations, laboratory experimentation, genomics, and bioinformatics to investigate fundamental questions about microbial life in aquatic ecosystems. Prior to joining Baylor, Dr. McKindles completed her Ph.D. in Biology at Bowling Green State University and postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan and the University of Windsor. Her interdisciplinary research program combines ecology, evolution, microbiology, and molecular approaches to better understand the processes that govern microbial communities and their responses to environmental change. Through research, teaching, and mentorship, she is committed to training the next generation of scientists while advancing knowledge of aquatic ecosystems.

Research Interests 

• Microbial Ecology
• Evolutionary Ecology
• Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics
• Community Ecology
• Host-Microbe Interactions
• Aquatic Ecosystems

My research focuses on questions of species interactions, food web dynamics, evolutionary drivers, and environmental adaptation, all within the context of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms. By studying bloom interactions with viruses, parasitic fungi, amoeboid grazers and other organisms, we hope to understand how harmful algal bloom communities work together to promote bloom establishment and longevity. 

Selected Publications

• McKindles, KM, K Seto, DQ Nguyen, TY James, RM McKay. Temperature and Light Drive Physiological and Transcriptional Responses, Modulating Infection Outcomes in a Freshwater Diatom-Chytrid System. Limnol. Oceanogr. 2025. 70(11), 3477-3488. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.70224

• McKindles, K, RM McKay, GS Bullerjahn, T Frenken. Interactions between chytrids cause variable infection strategies on harmful algal bloom forming species. Harmful Algae. 2023. 122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2023.10238.

• McKindles, K, MA Manes, JR DeMarco, A McClure, RM McKay, TW Davis, GS Bullerjahn. Dissolved microcystin release linked to lysis of a Microcystis-dominated bloom in western Lake Erie attributed to a novel cyanophage. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2020. 86: e01397-20; DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01397-20