Research areas of primary interest include:
- Microbial contributions to nutrient cycles (esp. N, vitamins)
- Cyanobacterial ecology/physiology and impacts on water quality
- Marine picophytoplankton ecology
- Cross-field collaborative research – e.g. atmospheric science, engineering, as well as chemical/physical oceanography
Broadly, we use ‘traditional’ (microscopy, cell culturing) and ‘modern’ techniques (qPCR, PCR, DNA/cDNA sequencing, isotopic tracing, flow cytometry) to test hypotheses and address problems. Laboratory and field-based experiments are integral to many projects.
Current research projects:
- Microbial Sources of taste and odor compounds in Lake Michie (Funding: WRRI & City of Durham Water Management)
- Identifying toxin producing cyanobacteria in the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound (Funding: Center for Human Health and Environment, NCSU)
- Picocyanobacterial diversity and phenotypes in the Pamlico Albemarle Sound System
- Vitamin B1 physiology of marine picoeukaryotic algae
- Dityrosine and other microbially-recalcitrant dissolved organic matter in the ocean
- Microbial diversity in aerosols and precipitation over northern India
- Drone-based sampling and assessment of algal growth