Focused on environmental microbiology, specifically survival of stress. When we examine the world around us, it is possible to see microbial communities living in surprising places. While many of these microbial communities do not live in so-called extreme environments, they still must survive stressful conditions. These conditions include exposure to UV light, desiccation, and nutrient limitation. In many cases, microbes must not only survive these natural stresses, but also in the presence of manmade stressors in the form of xenobiotic compounds (pollutants) that we release into the environment. It is the mechanisms and strategies used by microbes to survive these conditions that my laboratory is interested in understanding
