Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology
About the lab
We study & engineer the roles of microbes in the global carbon cycle.
Bacteria were there first organisms to perform photosynthesis (CO2 removal) and microbes remain the dominant catalysts of global respiration (CO2 release). To accurately predict Earth’s future, climate models must therefore describe the biology of photosynthesis and microbial respiration, which they do imperfectly. Indeed, microbial respiration in global soils is repeatedly found to be a major source of error in climate predictions. To address this grand challenge, we combine experiments and field observations with computation and mathematical models to study the collective respiration of microbial communities in the lab and in the wild.
Beyond predicting the future climate, we must also build scalable technologies that negate our emissions. Here, too, microbiology is indispensable, as diverse CO2-fixing microbes will be used to build a carbon-negative bio-economy. By studying the physiology and natural diversity of relevant microbes, we aim to find and engineer the ideal strains for sustainable food production at scale.
Today, microbes are a complication for climate modelers, and synthetic biologists have so far made a negligible dent in greenhouse gas emissions. Our group aims to build a future where microbiology is a key contributor to our collective efforts to cohabitate with our living planet.