Dr. Thomas Dichristina

Biography

The research carried out in the DiChristina laboratory focuses on the fundamental and applied aspects of microbial metal respiration. Microbial populations in aquatic and terrestrial environments are capable of respiring a succession of thermodynamically favorable compounds as electron acceptors, including oxygen, nitrate, sulfate, carbon dioxide, and transition metals like solid iron and manganese oxides. The process of electron transfer to solid metal oxides is a critical area of study, necessitating novel respiratory strategies that the DiChristina laboratory has begun to unravel. Metal-respiring microorganisms are deeply rooted within scattered prokaryotic domains, presenting an intriguing possibility that microbial metal reduction respiratory processes evolved very early in Earth's history. In the modern biosphere, microbial metal reduction is crucial for a wide array of environmental and alternative energy processes, including biogeochemical cycling of metals and nutrients, degradation of natural contaminants and organic matter, bioremediation of toxic metals and radionuclides, and electricity generation through microbial fuel cells.

Research Interests