Title: Graduate Research Assistant
Affiliation: Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences
Location: DRI Reno
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone:775.674.7583

Research Areas of Interest

• Geo-microbiology
• Polar and other cold environments
• Methanogenesis and anaerobic methane oxidation
• The potential for habitable environments beyond earth
• Climate change

Current Research Work

As a microbial ecologist I am interested in the geo-microbiology of extremely cold environments, i.e., the relationship between microbial metabolism and nutrient cycling at cold temperatures. Currently, I am working on a project funded by the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, entitled Astrobiology of Icy Worlds.

As part of my dissertation work, on one aspect of this project, I am looking at the structure of the microbial community that inhabits the snow fields of Mt. Conness, CA. On a different aspect, I am studying the archaeal community that thrives in the Arctic tundra lakes in Alaska, with special emphasis on the sediments and the processes of methane production and consumption.