Postdoctoral Researchers

Dan’s ongoing research in the Boyd lab integrates cultivation-independent genomic techniques and experimental microcosm approaches to determine the ecological processes and abiotic parameters that influence chemotrophic microbial community function and structure in Yellowstone National Park hot springs. Other current research includes using genomics data to determine the evolutionary history and diversity of NiFe hydrogenases and investigating the environmental forces that contributed to their diversification.

Julie is a geomicrobiologist with a focus on microbial biomineralization and organomineralization processes. Her research focuses on deciphering the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of minerals by microorganisms, understanding the impact of microbial biomineralization and organomineralization on the biogeochemical cycles of different elements such as P, Fe, C and S, and using biominerals and organominerals a tools for tracing microbial activity in the geological record. To achieve this she...

Educated as organic chemist and later trained as geochemist and geomicrobiologist, I investigate microbial activity and their substrate and energy turnover in the deep subsurface. I use radioactively labeled tracer to determine the in-situ rates of metabolic processes and measure concentrations of potential substrates and metabolic intermediates with highly sensitive methods. My work in the RPL team focusses on the in-situ activity of sulfate reducers in serpentinizing systems under a...

Jena is exploring the formation mechanisms of mixed-valence iron silicate minerals under anoxic and microaerophilic conditions in natural and laboratory-based ferruginous, silica-rich systems. Jena’s projects involve using a spectrum of analytical and spectroscopic techniques to characterize iron silicates found in chert nodules in ancient iron formations as well as in modern settings in volcanic crater lakes.

Kirt focuses on understanding carbon compound transformations during serpentinization using fluids from the Semail Ophiolite in the Sultanate of Oman. Kirt uses measurements of carbon and other species, collected by the GEOPIG group, to calculate activities for compounds involved in carbon redox reactions of abiotic and biological interest (using the software EQ3/6) in order to quantify the available Gibbs free energy for various carbon redox reactions and attempt to determine...

Lauren received her PhD in Oceanography from Rutgers University. She is currently using genomics and metabolomics approaches to study the flow of metabolites in microbial communities hosted by serpentinizing systems. She is also investigating non-traditional culturing techniques to observe how serpentinite-associated microbes structure themselves along gradients of pH and redox potential.

Katrina is interested in the diversity, metabolic potential, and activity of microorganisms living with the serpentinite environment using 'omics methods. Her PhD work at Michigan State focused on identifying microbial communities and genes involved in carbon cycling in fluids and drill-core samples from the Coast Range Microbial Observatory (CROMO). For her postdoctoral work, she will perform metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses on core samples from the Atlantis Massif (IODP Exp. 357)...

Kristin investigates microbial communities associated with terrestrial serpentinizing fluid seeps in the Zambales Range ophiolite (Luzon, the Philippines). As part of the RPL NAI research group, I will assess the metabolic potential of these ecosystems via metagenomic and isotopic-based approaches. Specifically, I hope to ascertain the biogenicity of methanogenic pathways in Zambales via “clumped” isotopologue analysis of 13 CH 3 D using novel tunable infrared laser direct absorption spectroscopy (TILDAS)...