Welcome!
I am an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati in the Department of Geology specializing in Precambrian Paleobiology, Biogeochemistry, and Astrobiology. I am interested in learning everything I can about the origin and evolution of the earliest life on Earth, namely bacteria, cyanobacteria, archaea, and their distant relatives (see my Research page). I go about studying fossils of these groups via standard microscopy, as well as confocal laser scanning microscopy and Raman spectroscopy (see my Facilities page for more information). 


My research interests include:
  • The study of Precambrian microfossils with an emphasis on those of the Archean (oldest 2 billion years of Earth history)
  • The search for organic/isotope geochemical evidence and morphological evidence of past terrestrial life and past or present extraterrestrial life
  • Understanding the geochemical alteration of fossil organic matter and inorganic aspects of such fossilization (e.g., permineralization)
  • Geochemical, isotopic, and taphonomic studies of ancient sediments and stromatolites to understand their genesis and evidence of past life preserved within
  • The Phanerozoic history of microbial life
**In the News**
UC featured my Student Andrew Gangidine and his work developing a trace element biosignature that could be applied to the search for life on Mars. Read that article here.

UC featured my work with the Mars 2020 mission as a member of the Returned Sample Science Board and Landing Site Working Group. Read that article here.

Subsequently Andrew Gangidine and I were interviewed on Cincinnati Edition on 91.7 FM WVXU
Click here for a link to the audio

Press for my paper in Geology (see below) on 2.52-billion-year-old deep water sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from South Africa:
UC Magazine news article   
Live Science   
Phys.org   
Biotechniques   
Daily Mail online (UK)   
TimesLive (South Africa)
I am currently looking for students to join my lab. If you are interested in the type of work I do, please check out the UC Geology graduate program and contact me (see the "People" tab).
 
Please visit the other tabs to learn more about my research, the folks I work with, and where we have been.
Note, this site is perpetually under construction so please check back periodically and/or contact me for more information

last updated:   21 May 2018