Education
| Ph.D |
2004 |
Marquette University |
Molecular Microbial Ecology
Dissertation: Investigations on Methane & Methanotrophic Bacteria in Geothermally Active Yellowstone Lake |
| B.S. |
1995 |
Creighton University |
Biology (Cum Laude) |
Previous Appointments
| 2004-2007 |
California Institute of Technology/(NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA)
Postdoctoral Scholar (Biotechnology & Planetary Protection Group) |
| 2004 |
Marquette University (Milwaukee, WI)
General Biology 002 (Primary Instructor) |
1992-1996
(summers) |
Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, NM)
Mobile Radiological Analyses Laboratory (MRAL) |
Professional Interests
- Microbial Ecology
- Life in Extreme Environments
The study of microbial communities and their interaction with the environment (aka microbial ecology) has been the primary focus of Dr. Bruckner’s research to date. In particular, Jim has studied microbial communities associated with extreme environments ranging from nutrient-rich hydrothermal features to desiccating, highly oligotrophic habitats associated with spacecraft surfaces and the clean rooms where spacecraft are assembled. Additionally, Jim has helped design, build and evaluate technologies and processes aimed at improving sample collection from these environments.
Current project at DRI involves a study of the microbial communities and processes present in Walker Lake, a moderately saline (~1%), alkaline (pH 9.3) terminal lake in western Nevada. One of the foci of Jim’s work is to utilize both culture and molecular based methods to better understand the factors leading to toxic H2S production in the lake’s hypolimnion during stratification.
Selected Field Experience
- Walker Lake, Nevada (saline, alkaline terminal lake)
- Izu-Bonin Arc, Japan (deep sea hydrothermal vents – ROV HYPER-DOLPHIN)
- In collaboration w/ JAMSTEC (Japan)
- Samples collected at the Myojin Knoll (1.2km) and Suiyo Seamount (1.4km)
- Eyjafjordur Fjord, Iceland (shallow marine hydrothermal vents – SCUBA)
- In collaboration w/ University of Akureyri (Iceland)
- Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico (oligotrophic cave environments)
- In collaboration w/ USGS and University of New Mexico
- NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama
- Regenerative Enclosed Life Support Module Simulator (REMS) facility
- NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California
- Spacecraft Assembly Facility (JPL-SAF)
- Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (freshwater hydrothermal vents and springs – Eastern Oceanics ROV and SCUBA)
- In collaboration w/ University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Personal Interests
Outdoor life (hiking, camping, whitewater boating, snow sports, mtb, etc.), Indoor life (music, video games, technology, etc.), spicy food, beer, combinations of all the above.
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Select Publications
- Bruckner J. and K. Venkateswaran (2007).
- Overview of methodologies to sample and assess microbial burden in low biomass environments. Jpn. J. Food Microbiol. 24(2):61-70.
- Moissl C., Hosoya N., Bruckner J., Stuecker T., Roman M., and K. Venkateswaran (2007).
- Molecular microbial community structure of the Regenerative Enclosed Life Support Module Simulator (REMS) Air System. Intern. J. Astrobiol. 6(2):131-145.
- Moissl C., Bruckner J., and K. Venkateswaran (2007).
- Archaeal diversity analysis of spacecraft assembly clean rooms. Intern. Soc. Microb. Ecol. (in press).
- Bruckner J., Osman S., Conely C., and K. Venkateswaran (2007).
- Planetary Protection: Burden, diversity, and significance of spacecraft associated microbes. In M. Schaechter and J. Lederberg (eds.), Enclyclopedia of Microbiology, 3rd Edition. Elsevier Science Ltd., Oxford. UK. (submitted).
- Behar, A., Mathews J., Bruckner J.C., and K. Venkateswaran (2006).
- A deep sea hydrothermal vent bio-sampler for filtration of hydrothermal vent fluids. Cah. Biol. Mar. 47: 443-447.
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