University of South Carolina

Peng Lab in Marine Microbial Ecology


Xuefeng "Nick" Peng

Assistant Professor, School of Earth, Ocean and Environment

Ph.D. in Geosciences, Princeton University
B.A. in Environmental Studies, Connecticut College
B.A. in Economics, Connecticut College

CV, Google Scholar


Julianne McHenry

Julianne received her B.S. in Marine Science at USC with a leadership distinction (2023). She was the President of the SCUBA Club.


Madeleine Thompson (Fourth-year Ph.D. candidate)

Madeleine received her B.S. in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston. She likes to travel and scuba dive. She also loves to cook and adventure outdoors!

Email: mthomposon@seoe.sc.edu


Birch Lazo-Murphy (Fourth-year Ph.D. candidate)

Birch received his B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Syracuse University. He enjoys cooking, painting, and staying active by biking, skating, or playing soccer.

Email: blmurphy@seoe.sc.edu


Qintiantian Nong (First-year M.S. candidate)

Tian received her B.A. in Chemistry and Environmental Science from St.Olaf College in Minnesota. She likes foraging, making crafts, and hiking. She also enjoys swimming and learning about fish.

Email: qnong@email.sc.edu


Liam Kellogg

Liam is an Honors College senior with a major in Marine Science. He enjoys fishing, backpacking, traveling, and cooking.


Juliana Doering

Juliana is a sophomore with a major in Marine Science. She enjoys listening to music and visiting the beach.


Tia Han

Tia is a sophomore majoring in Public Health. She loves fishing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.


Lily Bosch

Lily is an Honors College senior with a major in Environmental Science and minor in Spanish. She enjoys hiking, playing with her dogs, and going to the beach.


Hannah Lewis

Hannah is a junior with a major in Marine Science. She enjoys scuba diving, reading, and going on runs.


Tressa Redmann

Tressa is a junior with a major in Marine Science. They enjoy going to the beach and playing music.



Sydney Staines

Sydney received her B.S. in Marine Science from the Honors College at USC (2024). She was a Hollings Scholar. Sydney is currently pursing a master's degree at the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University.


Dylan Lane

Dylan received his B.S. in Biology with a minor in Marine Science from the Honors College at USC (2022). He is currently pursuing an M.D. at the USC School of Medicine.


Samantha Larson

Samantha received her B.S. in Environmental Science from the Honors College at USC (2023). She was the captain of the Quidditch Team.


Margaret Bernish

Margaret completed a Master's thesis at USC studying marine fungi using genomics (2023). She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island.


Heather Bruck

Heather received her B.S. in Biology from the Honors College at USC (2023). She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Marine Science at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.