Microbes, minerals, and metals are the main focus of the lab with particular emphasis on anaerobic respiration with novel alternative electon acceptors. The research group is involved in the isolation and characterization (i.e., physiology and 16S rRNA) of arsenate- and selenate- respiring bacteria, development of molecular and biochemical probes to identify these species in nature and animal systems (e.g., mouse), and the characterization of novel terminal reductases (i.e., Nap, DAsR, and DSeR). The latter work is being conducted in collaboration with Partha Basu in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. This work on alternative electron acceptors in extreme environments is being supported by NASA. The molecular analysis is supported by a subcontract from the Columbia University Superfund Program. More recently we have initiated a study on nitrate enhanced chromium reduction. This work, funded by the DOE is investigating the conversion of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in the presence of nitrate (often a co-contaminant) by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, Sulfurospirillum barnesii and Geobacter metallireducens using a proteomic approach. We are also investigating the community structure in modern marine stromatolites using confocal and electron microscopy as part of the NSF supported Research Initiative on Bahamian Stromatolites (RIBS).