Principal Investigator

Eric Boyd
Research Professors
John Dore
Focus: Geobiology
Dan Colman
Focus: High temperature ecosystems
Postdoctoral Scholars
Hunter Dulay
Focus: Biomining of Trace Metals from Complex Minerals
Email: michael.dulay@montana.edu
Lisa Keller
Focus: Subsurface hydrothermal microbiology
Email: lkeller02@gmail.com
Doctoral Students
Annie Shoemaker
Focus: Iron cycling in subglacial habitats
Email: annashoemaker@montana.edu
Erica Antill
Focus: Life detection in Enceledus plume analog environments
Email: erica.antill@googlemail.com
Alexis McDonnell
Focus: Microbial adaptations to cold, icy brines
Email: alexis.mcdonnell@montana.edu
Kayla Sorensen
Focus: Geologic hydrogen and microbial life in serpentinizing systems
Email: kaylasorensen1@gmail.com
Hannah Landman
Focus: Sulfide mineral oxidation
Email: hannah01beth@gmail.com.com
Research Personnel
Undergraduates
Honorary Field Assistants
Blue
Focus: Peak Summiting and Ball Fetching
Current Position: Boyd Household
Ida
Focus: Tail Wagging and Swimming
Current Position: Boyd Household
Rio
Focus: Quantitative Analysis of the Yellowstone Snowpack
Current Position: Colman Household
Benny
Focus: Mountain Shenanigans Expert
Current Position: Sorensen Household
Axel
Focus: Public utility vehicle terminator
Current Position: Shoemaker Household
Dex
Focus: Food Quality Inspector and Precision Meal Timing
Current Position: Antill Household
Alumni
Yidi Zhang
Focus: Metal Sulfide Acquisition by Methanogens
Current Position: Doctoral student at China University Geosciences, Beijing
Devon Payne
Focus: Iron Sulfur Cluster Biosynthesis in Methanogens
Current Position: Microbiologist at BioSqueeze in Butte, Montana
Maria Fernandes-Martins (doctoral student)
Focus: Geobiological feedbacks and the evolution of acidophiles
Rachel Spietz (Research Professor)
Focus: Iron sulfur acquisition and trafficking in primitive Archaea
Hannah Mavis (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Methanogens and minerals
Current Position: Undergraduate researcher in the Priscu Group at MSU
Japhanna Burns (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Nitrogen Fixation in Thermophiles
Current Position: Intern at the University of Montana
Rudi Lien (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Dolomite formation in hypersaline brines
Current Position: Undergraduate student at Montana State University
Matt Selensky (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Thermal microbial ecology
Current Position: Graduate Student at Northwestern University
Evan Bilbrey (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Mineral-supported hydrogenotrophs
Current Position: Research Intern at Flathead Lake Biological Station
Rachel Johnston (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Ecosystem dynamics of Great Salt Lake
Current Position: Dogsled Guide at Turning Heads Kennel
Anna Mounsey (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Microbial activities in serpentinized fluids
Current Position: Undergraduate at Montana State University
Kirina Amada (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Subglacial geochemical cycling
Current Position: Unknown
Maximiliano Amenabar (Ph.D., 2018)
Focus: Thermoacidophiles
Melody Lindsay (Ph.D., 2019)
Focus: Molecular Microbiology and Extreme Environments
Saroj Poudel (Ph.D., 2018)
Focus: Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
Erik Anderson (M.S., 2017)
Focus: Soil Microbial Communities
Current Position: USDA Forest Service
Matthew Urschel (Ph.D., 2016)
Focus: Pathways of Carbon Metabolism in Hot Spring Populations and Communities
Current Position: Postdoc at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Jayme Feyhl-Buska (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Acclimitization of Archaeal Membranes to Energy Stress
Current Position: PhD student at University of Southern California
Zoë Harrold (Postdoctoral Scholar)
Focus: Pyrite Oxidation in Subglacial Ecosystems
Current Position: Postdoc at UNLV
Drew Dyson (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Extremophile molecular biology
Current Position: Unknown
Jakob Sax (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Extremophile metabolisms
Current Position: Unknown
Kaitlin Wilkins (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Hydrogen metabolizing thermophiles
Current Position: Unknown
Ticha Padgett-Stewart (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Cultivation of subsurface organisms
Current Position: Unknown
Ezgi Cetin (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Deep sea sediment microorganisms
Current Position: Unknown
Annette Harnish (Undergraduate Scholar)
Focus: Cultivation of novel thermophilic archaea
Current Position: Unknown
Professor
Email: eric.boyd@montana.edu
Research Professors

Focus: Geobiology
Email: jdore@montana.edu

Focus: High temperature ecosystems
Email: drcolman1@gmail.com
Postdoctoral Scholars

Focus: Biomining of Trace Metals from Complex Minerals
Email: michael.dulay@montana.edu

Focus: Subsurface hydrothermal microbiology
Email: lkeller02@gmail.com
Doctoral Students

Focus: Iron cycling in subglacial habitats
Email: annashoemaker@montana.edu

Focus: Life detection in Enceledus plume analog environments
Email: erica.antill@googlemail.com

Focus: Microbial adaptations to cold, icy brines
Email: alexis.mcdonnell@montana.edu

Focus: Geologic hydrogen and microbial life in serpentinizing systems
Email: kaylasorensen1@gmail.com

Focus: Sulfide mineral oxidation
Email: hannah01beth@gmail.com.com
Research Personnel
Undergraduates
Honorary Field Assistants

Focus: Peak Summiting and Ball Fetching
Current Position: Boyd Household

Focus: Tail Wagging and Swimming
Current Position: Boyd Household

Focus: Quantitative Analysis of the Yellowstone Snowpack
Current Position: Colman Household

Focus: Mountain Shenanigans Expert
Current Position: Sorensen Household
Focus: Public utility vehicle terminator
Current Position: Shoemaker Household

Focus: Food Quality Inspector and Precision Meal Timing
Current Position: Antill Household
Alumni

Focus: Metal Sulfide Acquisition by Methanogens
Current Position: Doctoral student at China University Geosciences, Beijing
Focus: Iron Sulfur Cluster Biosynthesis in Methanogens
Current Position: Microbiologist at BioSqueeze in Butte, Montana

Focus: Geobiological feedbacks and the evolution of acidophiles
Current Position:

Focus: Iron sulfur acquisition and trafficking in primitive Archaea
Current Position:

Focus: Methanogens and minerals
Current Position: Undergraduate researcher in the Priscu Group at MSU

Focus: Nitrogen Fixation in Thermophiles
Current Position: Intern at the University of Montana

Focus: Dolomite formation in hypersaline brines
Current Position: Undergraduate student at Montana State University

Focus: Thermal microbial ecology
Current Position: Graduate Student at Northwestern University

Focus: Mineral-supported hydrogenotrophs
Current Position: Research Intern at Flathead Lake Biological Station

Focus: Ecosystem dynamics of Great Salt Lake
Current Position: Dogsled Guide at Turning Heads Kennel

Focus: Microbial activities in serpentinized fluids
Current Position: Undergraduate at Montana State University

Focus: Subglacial geochemical cycling
Current Position: Unknown

Focus: Thermoacidophiles
Current Position: Senior research scientist at Biociencia Fundación Científica y Cultural, Chile

Focus: Molecular Microbiology and Extreme Environments
Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at Bigelow Laboratories

Focus: Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University
Focus: Soil Microbial Communities
Current Position: USDA Forest Service

Focus: Pathways of Carbon Metabolism in Hot Spring Populations and Communities
Current Position: Postdoc at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Focus: Acclimitization of Archaeal Membranes to Energy Stress
Current Position: PhD student at University of Southern California

Focus: Pyrite Oxidation in Subglacial Ecosystems
Current Position: Postdoc at UNLV

Focus: Extremophile molecular biology
Current Position: Unknown

Focus: Extremophile metabolisms
Current Position: Unknown

Focus: Hydrogen metabolizing thermophiles
Current Position: Unknown

Focus: Cultivation of subsurface organisms
Current Position: Unknown

Focus: Deep sea sediment microorganisms
Current Position: Unknown

Focus: Cultivation of novel thermophilic archaea
Current Position: Unknown