Geobiology is an interdisciplinary focus that transcends departmental boundaries. Students often find their PhD committees composed of researchers from three or more departments!



 
Geobiology Faculty
Earth Sciences Microbial geochemistry of extreme environments
Earth Sciences Connections between geochemical cycles, microbes, and the rock record
Earth Sciences Evolutionary and ecological history of life on Earth
Marine Environ. Bio. Microbial ecology and biogeochemistry
Earth Sciences Geobiology in deep (and not so deep) time
Marine Environ. Bio. Geomicrobiology and microbial ocean biogeochemistry
Earth Sciences Organic Geochemistry and Paleoenvironment
Mol. Comp. Bio. Long-term survival and evolution in bacteria
Marine Environ. Bio. Marine bacteria, archaea & viruses
Earth Sciences Biogeochemical cycles through sediment diagenesis
Marine Environ. Bio. Microbial genomics
Marine Environ. Bio. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial genomics
Marine Environ. Bio. marine phytoplankton biology and nutrient cycling
Marine Environ. Bio. aquatic biogeochemistry
Marine Environ. Bio. Chemistry of trace elements in surface waters
Kenneth Nealson *
Earth Sciences Environmental microbiology and microbial fuel cells
Marine Environ. Bio. Trace Metals and Biogeochemical Cycling
Marine Environ. Bio. Iron acquisition by marine cyanobacteria
Earth Sciences Biogeochemistry of weathering, erosion, and the carbon cycle
Marine Environ. Bio. Biogeochemistry of benthic environments
* Primary Contact
    
 
 
Geobiology Research Faculty
Maria Prokopenko
 Earth Sciences Nitrogen in anoxic sediments, oxygen isotopes
Mandy Ward
 Marine Environ. Bio. Microbial behavior around minerals
 
 
Geobiology Staff
Sue Anderson
 Wrigley Institute Project Specialist, International GeoBiology Course Co-Coordinator
Andrea Cheung
 Earth Sciences Research Specialist I/Laboratory Technician: Microbial Fuel Cells
Ann Close
 Wrigley Institute Director of Innovative Programs in Education and Outreach, International GeoBiology Course Coordinator
Anna Obraztsova
 Earth Sciences
   
 
Postdoctoral Researchers
Douglas LaRowe
 Earth Sciences Thermodynamics and kinetics of biogeochemical processes
Earth Sciences Microbiology and geochemistry of extreme environments
Jill Sohm
 Marine Environ. Bio. Microbial biogeochemistry
Marine Environ. Bio. Molecular Biogeochemistry in the Deep Subsurface
Marine Environ. Bio. Deep Ocean Geomicrobiology
 
Graduate Students
Roman Barco
 Marine Environ. Bio. Iron-oxidizing bacteria
Mike Cheetham
 Earth Sciences Climate proxies in biomarker isotopes
Prithiviraj Chellamuthu
 Mol. Comp. Bio. PHN mediators of biofilm formation
Earth Sciences Benthic Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling
John Fleming
 Earth Sciences Triple Oxygen Isotopes and Primary Productivity
Earth Sciences Photosynthesis under extreme radiation environments
Howard Harris
 Marine Environ. Bio. Image analysis of Shewanella as they reduce metal oxides
Willie Haskell
 Earth Sciences Ocean Sciences - Marine Nutrient Cycling
Greg Horn
 Marine Environ. Bio. Seafloor and Deep Subsurface Geomicrobiology
Lewis Hsu
 Environ. Engineering heavy metal and radionuclei remediation
Victoria Petryshyn
 Earth Sciences Carbonate biogeochemistry
Carlie Pietsch
 Earth Sciences Early Triassic benthic marine invertebrate recovery
Meghann Ribbens
 Mol. Comp. Biology LTSP in biofilms
Earth Sciences Constraints on marine ecological development following mass extinctions
Earth Sciences Metagenomics of deep ocean sediments
Mark Torres
 Earth Sciences Low-temperature geochemistry and weathering processes
Ben Tully
 Marine Env. Bio. Microbial environmental genomics
Amanda Turner
 Earth Sciences Alteration reactions that occur on seafloor and subseafloor basalt and hydrothermal sulfides
Yanbing Wang
 Earth Sciences microbial physiology
   
Note: Student directory information is only available to users on computers within the usc.edu domain
 
Geobiology Affiliates

NASA JPL

 Geomicrobio of evaporites/volcanic rock in deserts
Yuri Gorby

Venter Institute
Gijs Kuenen

TU Delft
NASA JPL Life detection in extreme environments
NASA JPL Biogenicity analysis
   
  Alumni
Scott Mata
 Chevron
Rowan Martindale
 Post-Doc, Harvard University
Sarah Greene
 Post-Doc, University of Bristol
Tim Riedel
 Post-Doc, UCLA
Deborah Khider
 Post-Doc, U Texas
Laurie Barge
 Post-Doc, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Beverly Flood
 Post-Doc, U Minnesota
Vicky Bertics
 Alexander von Humboldt Post Doctoral Fellow, IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany
Lisa Collins Faculty, USC Environmental Studies
Michael Waters Postdoc NIST
Everett Salas Postdoc Rice University
Orianna Bretschger Researcher Venter Institute
Jake Bailey Assistant Professor, U Minnesota
Catherine Powers Glendale Community College Lecturer
Katherine Marenco NSF Post Doctoral Fellow, Bryn Mawr College
Pedro Marenco Assistant Professor, Bryn Mawr College
Derek Shannon Consultant
Chanda Drennen USGS
Mathew Clapham Assistant Professor, UC Santa Cruz
Alison Olcott Assistant Professor, University of Kansas
Rachel Schelble ExxonMobil Exploration Company
Nicole Bonuso Assistant Professor, Cal State Fullerton
Gerald Grellet-Tinner Assistant Professor, South Dakota School of Mines
Margaret Fraiser Assistant Professor, University Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Sara Pruss Assistant Professor, Smith College
Steve Dornbos Assistant Professor, University Wisconsin, Milwaukee
   
 

 
 
 
 

The faculty-student interaction in USC’s Geobiology program transcends the departments of Earth Sciences, Molecular and Computational Biology, the Wrigley Institute and Marine and Environmental Biology.

 
 
 
 
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