How do microorganisms develop resistance to the medications utilized in their treatment? On April 23, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. PDT in Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium, Smruthi Karthikeyan, the Gordon and Carol Treweek Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, alongside a William H. Hurt Scholar, will examine the elements that contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR): improper clinical applications of antibiotics, and resistance genes that can be found in locations such as the human gut, wastewater, and natural ecologies without previous human impact.

In a public discourse titled “The Secret Life of Superbugs: How Antimicrobial Resistance Moves Between Humans and the Environment,” Karthikeyan will delve into how these environmental origins can act as reservoirs where pathogens gain resistance genes, complicating treatment approaches for bacterial and fungal diseases such as pneumonia and E. coli. She will also address how investigating unusual areas—sewage systems—may aid in devising strategies to confront the escalating challenge of AMR.

“Exploring the environment for innovative solutions has proven very effective, as demonstrated during the pandemic,” Karthikeyan states. “It is crucial to explore how we can utilize these relatively new, unexplored territories to devise therapies for significant global health challenges like antimicrobial resistance.”

Beginning at 6 p.m., team members from Karthikeyan’s microbial ecosystems laboratory will be available to respond to inquiries about their ongoing research concerning the roles and behaviors of microbes in their natural habitats.

Raised in India, Karthikeyan was initially introduced to science via The Magic School Bus book series. After completing her undergraduate studies in chemical engineering in her native country, she relocated to the United States for her graduate education, obtaining an M.S. in earth and environmental engineering from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to her appointment at Caltech in 2022, she was a postdoctoral research scholar at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, where she led the development and execution of one of the world’s largest SARS-CoV-2 wastewater genomic surveillance programs. Her present research concentrates on leveraging the capabilities of microbes for the well-being of humans and the environment.

The Watson Lectures present new chances each month to learn how Caltech scientists are addressing society’s most urgent issues and innovating future technologies. Gather with a community of inquisitiveness outside Beckman Auditorium to relish food, beverages, and music together before each lecture. Interactive exhibits related to the evening’s subject will provide attendees with supplementary context and insights. The festivities commence at 6 p.m. Participants are also encouraged to remain for post-lecture coffee and tea, and the opportunity to converse with fellow attendees and researchers.

Discover more about the Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series and its background at Caltech.edu/Watson.

Watson Lectures are complimentary and accessible to the public. 

Watson Lectures are complimentary and accessible to the public. Register online. A recording will be provided following the live event.

Suggested Reading:

Enjoy some reading suggestions from professor Smruthi Karthikeyan! Click on the titles below to purchase from our partner bookseller, Vroman’s.

• I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong
• Microbes: The Unseen Agents of Climate Change by David L. Kirchman, Tristan Morris
• The Perfect Predator: A Scientist’s Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, Thomas Patterson, Teresa Barker
• The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life by David Quammen