Education

1994 B. A., Aquatic Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

2001 Ph.D., Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara.

Dissertation: Linking microbes to geochemical processes: Characterization of microbial assemblages involved in sulfur and methane cycling in high temperature petroleum reservoirs and marine methane seeps.

Professional Experience

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, PASADENA, CA
Assistant Professor of Geobiology, GPS
2004-present

NASA AMES RESEARCH CENTER, MOFFETT FIELD, CA
National Research Council Associate
2002-2004

MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM RESEARCH INSTITUTE, CA
Research Assistant / Graduate Student
1999-2002

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA, CA
Research Assistant / Graduate Student
1995-1998

SFSU TIBURON CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, CA
Research Technician
1994-1995

Invited Lectures

Oregon State University, IGERT 2007
NRC- Earth Sciences and Resources, Geobiology Panel, Washington DC 2006
Moore Foundation Investigators meeting, San Francisco 2005, 2006
Leopoldina Symposium, Bremen, Germany 2006
Southern California Microbiology Society, San Diego 2006
Scripps Institute of Oceanography, San Diego, CA Earth Science Dept Seminar 2005
ISSM-ISEB Meeting, Jackson Hole, WY. 2005
Agaroune Microbial mat Meeting, San Diego 2005
ESE seminar, Caltech 2005
Penn State University, Department of Geosciences 2004
University of Georgia, Department of Marine Sciences 2004
GRC Organic Geochemistry, Holderness, N.H. 2004
US-UK Frontiers of Science, Cambridge, England 2004
AAAS Annual meeting, Seattle, WA 2004

Honors and Awards

National Research Council fellowship- 2001. NASA Ames Research Center.

National Research Council Fellowship- 2001. USGS Menlo Park (declined).

Deep-Sea Hydrothermal vent best paper-2001. Honorable mention.

Synergystic Activities

Symposium lecturer “Evolution of Metabolism” Agouron Geobiology Course, 2003

Manuscript Reviewer for PNAS, Chem. Geol, Geochem. Cosmochem Acta, Geobiology, AGU, Environmental Microbiology.

Grant Reviewer for ODP and NSF, 2002-2005

Member of ASM, AGU, AAAS

Member of NASA Astrobiology Institute for NASA Ames and Penn State teams.

Tour guide and spokesperson for Ames astrobiology program during the CA Academy of Sciences docent council visit, NASA Ames, 2003

Interview: ESI Special Topics, www.esi-topics.com/nhp/nhp-November 2002

Teaching Assistant for the Agouron Institute Geobiology Summer Course, 2002.

Guest lecturer on Extremophiles for 5th grade Bayview Elementary School, 2001

Judge for the Santa Cruz County Science Fair (3rd-6th grade), 2001

Collaborators

Christopher House, Penn State University

Will Berelson, USC

Dave Des Marais, Linda Jahnke, and Tori Hoehler, Brad Bebout, Lee Bebout, Geeta Kadambi, Kelly Decker NASA Ames Research Center

John Grotzinger, Alex Sessions and Shana Goffredi, California Institute of Technology

Antje Boetius, Tina Trude, Max Planck Institute, Bremen

David Valentine, University of California Santa Barbara

Samantha Joye, University of Georgia, GA

Chris Scholin, Christina Preston. Bob Vrijenhoek, Bill Ussler, MBARI

Graduate and Post-Graduare Advisors

Graduate Advisor: Edward F. DeLong, MBARI, current affiliation MIT, MA

Post-graduate Advisor: David J. Des Marais, NASA Ames Research Center

Field Experience

R/V Atlantis, 2005. Microbiologist for Pacific-Antarctic Ridge (PAR-5) cruise. Microbial weathering of massive sulfides and basalts from new hydrothermal vent system

R/V Melville, 2005. Microbiologist for Fiji-Lau back-arc basin cruise. Microbial ecology studies and isotopic variation of microbial communities associated with hydrothermally-altered sediments.

R/V Western Flyer, 2004. Microbiologist for long term ecological study of a deep-sea whalefall, Monterey Canyon, CA (B. Vjrenhoek. Chief scientist) Sediment push core collection using ROV Tiburon, sample processing for microbiological and geochemical analyses.

R/V Pt. Lobos, 1999-2001. Chief Scientist, benthic microbiology program. Sediment core and chemosynthetic megafauna collection surrounding cold seeps in Eel River Basin, CA and Monterey Canyon, CA using ROV Ventana.

R/V Western Flyer, August 2000. Microbiologist on hydrothermal vent cruise, Juan de Fuca, NESCA, SESCA.

R/V Cape Hatteras, 2000. Microbiologist on Blake Ridge piston coring cruise. Blake Ridge, NC.

R/V Pt. Sur, 1994. Biological Oceanographic Research Assistant, Euphausiid impact on marine snow. Zooplankton sorting (Dr. A. Alldredge, chief scientist).

R/V New Horizon, 1993. Biological Oceanographic Research Assistant, marine snow studies, net tows, zooplankton sorting, chlorophyll analyses (Dr. A. Alldredge, chief scientist).

Advisees

Postdoctoral Researchers
David Fike (8/07-present)
Annelie Pernthaler (3/05-5/07)
Husen Zhang (8/04-8/05)
Haaroko Yu (2/07-8/07)

Graduate Students
Kendra Turk (9/04-3/06)
Ben Harrison (1/05-present)
Crystal Gammon (9/05-present)
Anne Dekas (9/06-present)
Abigail Green (3/08-present)

Undergraduate Students
Regina Wilpiszeski (MURF program) 2004-05
Gina Gage, 2005
Pauline Ku (SURF program) 2006
Nicole Galli (work study student) 2006

High school Students
Tanya Doctorian (2005)
Susan Ussler (2006)
Annie Burres (2007)
Amy Lifland (2008)

Thesis Committee Participant
Shan Fu Wu, Master student, University of Belgium (2007)
Tanja Bosak, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech (2004)
Enoma Omergie, Max Planck Institute of Marine Microbiology, Bremen (2007)
Yongquin Jiao, Caltech (2007)
Cody Nash, Caltech (current)
Won Won Yang, Caltech (current)
Xinning Zhang , Caltech (current)