Geobiology at USC

USC Geobiology / Astrobiology is a diverse program with a keen interest in pushing the boundaries of interdisciplinary research. Our program can be broadly organized around 3 main themes:

1) The modern biogeochemical processes perspective: examining the way in which life and the geosphere interact in modern systems

Supporting faculty: Will Berelson, Doug Capone, Dave Caron, Katrina Edwards, Dave Hutchins, Jed Fuhrman, Jim Moffett, Ken Nealson, Sergio Sañudo-Wilhelmy, Eric Webb and Wiebke Ziebis

2) The time perspective: putting what we know about modern systems into a paleo-type perspective

Supporting faculty: Dave Bottjer, Frank Corsetti and Katrina Edwards

3) The molecular perspective: adding the techniques and approaches of molecular genetics, genomics, and metagenomics to understand life, and its signals and signatures at a new level

Supporting faculty: Doug Capone, Dave Caron, Katrina Edwards, Steve Finkel, Jed Fuhrman, John Heidelberg, Karla Heidelberg, Dave Hutchins, Ken Nealson and Eric Webb

These three perspectives pervade the highly interdisciplinary research of the geobiology group, the teaching of the geobiology group (both undergraduate and graduate), and the way in which future growth of the group is envisioned.   They also account for why the group is highly sought after for collaborations with several Department of Energy Laboratories, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA), the J. Craig Venter Institute, and many colleagues at other universities.