Biogeoscience Interview Archive

Interviews with researchers in the biogeosciences and their thoughts on the state of the biogeosciences

Jochen Brocks

The Austrailian National University

To study very ancient ecosystems, Brocks extracts molecular biological remains from sedimentary rocks. Most microorganisms can’t be cultured and we only know a miniscule fraction of their lipid repertoire. He is now working to combine environmental genomics with a study of the entirety of lipids.

posted 4/4/06

A. Hope Jahren

Johns Hopkins University

Traditional paleontology has relied on morphology and statistics to analyze fossils. Dr. Jahren is part of a new generation that is using chemical analyses to understand the behavior, metabolism, physiology, even symbiosis of past organisms.

posted 1/24/06

Eric P. Verrecchia

Université de Neuchâtel

In researching interactions between microorganisms and minerals, and their role in biogeochemical cycles, Dr. Verrecchia seeks a better understanding of carbon sequestration by concentrating on biomineralization processes involved in plant, fungi, and bacteria interactions in soils, as well as in microbial mats from freshwater palustrine environments.

posted 7/22/05

Ruth E. Blake

Yale University

"Biogeochemistry and earth science are intrinsically broad and multidisciplinary, but not unfocused or uncontained."

Dr. Blake investigates the interactions between microbiota and their environment, as well as biological and geochemical cycle co-evolution.

posted 5/10/05

Heather Gingerich

Graduate Student in Medical Geology, Unversity of Waterloo

posted 8/10/04

Dr. Jack Farmer

Director, ASU Astrobiology Program, Arizona State University

My research interests focus on the role that microorganisms play in sedimentary processes, particularly in extreme environments that are analogs for the early Earth and other potentially habitablle planetary bodies in our Solar System, like Mars and Europa. Of particular interest to me is the microbial biosedimentology and paleontology of saline lakes and playas over a range of pH, hydrothermal and subsurface evironments over a range of temperatures.

posted 4/19/04

A collection of Interviews with Program Managers from a variety of funding agencies with insight into the program and useful statistics