Student Opportunity Announcements
Graduate Student Research in Marine Environmental Microbiology
Graduate Student Research in Marine Environmental
Microbiology
The labs of Drs. Daniel Thornton and Heath Mills in
the Oceanography Department at Texas A&M
University are looking for multiple graduate students
(Ph.D or masters) interested in environmental
microbiology.
The Mills Lab is looking for multiple masters and
doctoral level students that are interested in learning
and completing projects associated combining state
of the art molecular microbial techniques with fine
scale geochemical analysis to understand active, as
well as potential, microbial community composition
and metabolic activity. Current projects utilize
functional gene targets to track and characterize
microbial groups associated with key energy yielding
processes including iron, sulfur and nitrogen cycling.
Field sites range from Oak Ridge, Tennessee to the
Gulf of Mexico to the deep subsurface off the coast of
Japan. As a member of the Integrated Ocean Drilling
Program (IODP) Ocean Drilling and Sustainable
Earth Sciences (ODASES) team at Texas A&M
University, projects will explore the subsurface
biosphere in sediments kilometers below the
seafloor, asking exciting new questions including
"What is alive?", "How are those organisms alive?",
"How have they evolved?", and "How does their
activity affect their environment?". IODP projects will
also lead to Astrobiology related research as Mars-
analog environments are identified. Prior knowledge
of molecular techniques is a plus, but not a
requirement. In addition, the student should be
interested in learning geochemical assays to
complement their projects. Students will be expected
to take part in local, national, and international
fieldwork both on land and at sea.
The Thornton Lab is currently looking for a student
interested in marine biogeochemistry and the
ecophysiology of diatoms. The student would be
expected to conduct research within the framework of
an NSF funded project on the production of
extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by
planktonic diatoms. The objective of the research is
to determine which environmental factors affect the
production of EPS by diatoms, and how EPS
production affects the formation of diatom aggregates
and marine snow. The main research focus will be
on experiments conducted with continuous cultures
of diatoms in the laboratory. The project will involve
some fieldwork with natural phytoplankton
populations. Previous experience is not a
requirement. However, relevant experience could
include: diatom culture, carbohydrate assays and
fluorescence microscopy.
For more information and to inquire about available
positions in the Mills Lab:
Webpage - http://ocean.tamu.edu/Directory/ocean/
mills
Email - hmills@ocean.tamu.edu
Phone - 979-845-5105
For more information and to inquire about available
positions in the Thornton Lab:
Webpage - http://ocean.tamu.edu/Directory/ocean/
thornton/index.html
Email - dthornton@ocean.tamu.edu
Phone - 979-845-4092