About
About
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My name is Holly Rose Rucker (she/her), and I am a 4th year PhD candidate in Cellular & Molecular Biology with a doctoral minor in Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My research uses synthetic biology to understand Precambrian life, with a focus on stable isotope biosignatures.
Links:
Research:
Current: Nitrogen Fixation
Current: Nitrogen Fixation
Understanding the molecular origins of one of life's key metabolisms, solely driven by the enzyme nitrogenase
Past: Hydrothermal Vents
Past: Hydrothermal Vents
Bioenergetics of shallow-sea alkaline hydrothermal vents, on Earth, and on ancient Mars
Field work: Strýtan / Akureyri, Iceland
Past: Pheromone Synthesis
Past: Pheromone Synthesis
Targeting the enzyme aromatase in the skin of female garter snakes to shut down sexually dimorphic pheromone production
Field work: Manitoba, Canada
Fun facts:
I love baking; shortbread cookies are my specialty.
Outside of the lab, I am also a comedian.
I am an avid reader, mostly of non-fiction,
sci-fi, and fantasy.
I have a dog named Yuki - a Shiba/American Eskimo dog mix!
Updates:
January 2026: Presented a poster at the Geobiology Gordon Research Seminar & Conference
New paper published in Nature Communications!
An article featuring my work was posted on the University of Wisconsin website!
New review article in Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences
December 2025: Awarded a travel award by the Graduate College
October 2025: Participated in the NASA Ocean Worlds Mission Ideation Factory
September 2025: Presented at the Midwest Geobiology conference and was awarded a first place oral presentation award
June 2025: Attended IsoCamp at the University of New Mexico, a two-week intensive course on stable isotopes.
May 2025: Attended the 3rd Geobiology Society Conference in Banff, AB Canada and was awarded a lightning talk award
Press releases:
UW-Madison_Resurrected ancient enzyme offers new window into early Earth and the search for life beyond it – UW–Madison News.pdfNASA Science_Resurrecting Ancient Enzymes in NASA's Search for Life Beyond Earth.pdfPage updated
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