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Welcome to my website!
Welcome to my website!
I am a microbiologist who studies the vast array of microorganisms that inhabit every corner of our large and diverse planet. I currently work as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Waikato (Hamilton, New Zealand) in the Thermophile Research Unit, studying microorganisms inhabiting Antarctic geothermal sites.
I am a microbiologist who studies the vast array of microorganisms that inhabit every corner of our large and diverse planet. I currently work as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Waikato (Hamilton, New Zealand) in the Thermophile Research Unit, studying microorganisms inhabiting Antarctic geothermal sites.
What are the microorganisms that inhabit our planet? How do they survive in extreme environments and what aspects of their physiology enable them to thrive? I am addressing these sorts of questions using new (and old) techniques to bring microorganisms into the lab to study their physiology. I am pairing these experiments with culture-independent methods such as DNA sequencing and mesocosm experiments to help us understand the roles that microbes play in the environment.
I have used these methods to further characterize the physiology of the most abundant group of bacteria in the world, the marine SAR11 group. I am currently using these methods to study the novel and potentially endemic microorganisms predicted to inhabit the subsurface of Mt. Erebus in Antarctica, one of the most extreme environments in the world.
I have just received a Marsden Fast-Start research grant starting in early 2025 to study how the thermophilic (heat-loving) Cyanobacteria (photosynthetic bacteria) on Mt. Erebus survive the four months of complete darkness they experience every winter. I will be conducting winter darkness simulations in the lab using Erebus Cyanobacteria isolates, as well as a field "winter darkness" simulation using shades during the 2025-2026 field season on Erebus. See my page on "Mt. Erebus Cyanobacteria Survival" under "Research" for more information.
Conducting field work at Western Crater, Mt. Erebus, Antarctica.
Photo credit: Jon Tyler
Our research studying microorganisms inhabiting geothermally heated soils on Mt. Erebus, Antarctica, was featured on the 2024 Ross Dependency stamps.
2024 Ross Dependency - Mount Erebus Extremophiles Presentation Pack - NZ Post Collectables
A photo I took on Mt. Erebus was selected for a Special Prize in the Wiki Commons Science Competition.
Commons:Wiki Science Competition 2023/Winners - Wikimedia Commons
Research interests: microbial physiology and metabolism; cultivation of novel microbes; extremophiles; marine microbiology; Antarctic microbiology
Education: B.S. in Biology from Geneva College; Ph.D. in Molecular & Cellular Biology from Oregon State University
Research
Research
Find out more about my past and present research projects.
Artwork
Artwork
Browse my artwork here.
Publications
Publications
2025: Exploring the microbial communities at Antarctic geothermal sites: Mts. Erebus, Rittmann, and Melbourne. We found strong signatures for dispersal of microbes between these isolated sites.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70032
2024: Exploring the predicted metabolic functions of some of the most unique microorganisms inhabiting geothermally heated soils on Mt. Erebus, Antarctica.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-024-00655-5
2024: Comprehensive survey of the biota (across all three domains of life) inhabiting all different types of geothermally heated soils found on Mt. Erebus, Antarctica.
https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiae128
2024: The globally abundant marine bacterium SAR11 takes up a required vitamin B1 precursor, HMP, with high affinity through a specific transporter.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.70023
2024: Discovery and genomic description of a novel group of cold-adapted Vibrio species that may play a role in intestinal infections of an unknown shellfish
2023: Review that shows that aquatic oligotrophs have reduced transcriptional regulation of genes
2023: A lack of motility in aquatic oligotrophs is a large reason behind the lack of transcriptional regulation in these cell types
2022: Comparison of microbial communities inhabiting two geothermal sites on Mt. Erebus, Antarctica
2021: SAR11 polyamine transport and metabolism
2021: Oligotrophic educational board game and curriculum
https://www.nsta.org/science-teacher/science-teacher-mayjune-2021/oligotrophic
2019: SAR11 glycine betaine transporter
2019: Role of SAR11 in marine arsenic cycling
2019: genome of a bacterium from an acid mine drainage-influenced creek
Interested in knowing more about the science I do, or have an idea for a collaboration?
Interested in knowing more about the science I do, or have an idea for a collaboration?
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Get in touch:
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