Researchers in the Penn Geomicrobiology Laboratory (PGL) study the physiologies, metabolisms and phylogenies of chemosynthetic microorganisms from hydrothermal environments associated with the ocean crust.

Occurring along a variety of temperature, pressure and reduction-oxidation gradients (among others), crustal microorganisms allow us to interrogate the metabolic rules governing life from an early-evolution perspective. By experimentally linking the bioenergetics behind microbial metabolisms with microbial physiologies under different physicochemical conditions, we can also help constrain mechanisms driving energy and matter transfers within biogeochemical cycles. The potential applications behind the fundamental knowledge acquired from laboratory data are also investigated as part of our work.

Overall, our microbiological studies are interdisciplinary in nature, intersecting with aqueous and isotopic geochemistry, mineralogy, ecology, evolution, planetary science, oceanography and biotechnology.