Understanding the sources, transformations, and biological impact of metals and nutrients in the environment is needed to develop accurate climate models, assess the fate and impact of harmful contaminants, and design sustainable practices for food and bio-fuel crop production. In most cases, however, the metabolic pathways, organisms, and genes involved in these global processes are still unknown. The cornerstone of our research is the development of state-of-the-art analytical approaches (especially mass spectrometry) that provide us with new windows into how elemental cycles are structured at the molecular level. Leveraging these and other 'omics' tools, our goal is to develop predictive knowledge of how metals and organic nutrients impact food webs, evolutionary adaptations, and environmental/human health.
