I am a Lecturer at the Thermophile Research Unit. I study microorganisms inhabiting extreme environments, especially those living in geothermally heated soils on Mt. Erebus, Antarctica, the world's southernmost active volcano. We use a combination of genetic methods (DNA sequencing: metagenomes, 16S rRNA gene sequencing), field manipulations, and culturing to characterize the unique biota present. My new Marsden funded project will be looking at how the photosynthetic organisms inhabiting these hot soils survive the four months of darkness every winter, using these techniques. 

Please note: I am unable to be a chief supervisor for PhD students and have no funding for PhD students at this time. If you have a background in environmental microbiology and are interested in pursuing a PhD in environmental microbiology or microbial ecology, I am able to be a co-supervisor but you would need to be self-funded. If your background is in other areas (medical), I am afraid that there is insufficient time to gain the necessary experience to undertake research with me as your supervisor. Please approach another research supervisor (either at the University of Waikato or another University).