Research
First things first - this is a microbial world
This statement is absolutely correct in so many ways. The fact that our bodies have way more microbial cells than human cells might hit home the most. Microbes existed way before our ancestors appeared on this planet. They can perform many interesting microbial metabolisms. These microbial capabilities might appear strange and exotic to us mostly because we think of our planet as being the same as it is now. But our planet is always evolving; it has seen things that we can't imagine. Our planet's oldest friends are microbes and they have co-evolved. On today's Earth we see sneak peeks of this ancient and on going friendship in places that resemble its older forms such as in Yellowstone National Park (see left Mammoth Hot Springs with thick microbial mats, Summer 2014). Using geochemical & molecular tools along with -omic information we are starting to predict how microbes are shaping our planet today, and also shedding light on what they might have been doing in the past.Â
Why is it important to acquire this knowledge? Microbes drive the engines that move important elements around the Earth. Thus, understanding how microbes continue to shape this planet helps us prepare for changes that are similar to the ones that the Earth has already experienced. Also, microbial capabilities discovered and understood along the way will provide new ideas to address issues such as the energy crisis, pollution, biofouling and sustainability.
Some of the broad questions we strive to answer are:
- What is the genetic and molecular basis of a specific microbial metabolism? (Genetics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
- How are these genes regulated in bacteria and archaea? (Gene Regulation)
- Can environmental microbes be used to help us come up with sustainable solutions to the energy crisis and climate change? (Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering)
- Can we use these genes as markers for a specific microbial metabolism in nature? How does microbial physiology determine the distribution of microbes? How do microbes continue to shape our planet? (Microbial Ecology, Geomicrobiology and Earth History)
We are interested in various aspects of microbial metabolism such as (but not limited to) anoxygenic photosynthesis, sulfate reduction and methanogenesis. We are intrigued by microbial diversity and have a passion for taming microbes using genetic tools. In the -omic era this skill is great to have because more & more questions arise everyday that need to be tested using genetic, biochemical and computational approaches. So if you think of interesting collaborations please don't hesitate to send us an email!