Biography

From the single-cell as a microcosm to complex microbial consortia that inhabit extreme environments on our planet, my research probes how microbial community structure is shaped by environmental factors and how such relationships might allow us to predict or perhaps influence change in the natural environment. This research spans the fields of microbial ecology, molecular ecology, molecular evolution, cell-physiology, phylogenetics, comparative molecular biology and biogeography. My research investigates the relationships between microbes and the mechanisms that determine their diversity, distribution, survival and impact on local and global processes.