An ongoing focus of my research is to probe the relationship between environmental geochemistry and microbial ecology in microbially dominated systems. I apply stable isotope measurements (H, C, N, O, S), microscopy, and molecular biology techniques to address questions at the microbial-environment interface with a focus on two distinct settings: (1) Estuary and marine systems, and (2) Hypersaline lakes and other brines. In each environment my scientific emphasis is distinct. The hypersaline work focuses on the role of archaea in salt nucleation and mineral development. The objective is to identify the physiological connection between crystal formation, growth in high osmotic stress, and potential biological imprints of salts nucleated by archaea. In marine and estuarine systems the emphasis is on the role of microorganisms in generating and oxidizing methane by examining the geochemical fingerprints of their metabolism (e.g. characteristic lipids, negative carbon isotope excursions, carbonates).  Collectively my two research streams seek to frame how microbes impact and modify the environments they inhabit. 

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