Postdoctoral Scholars   E-mail     Print     PDF

James Kinsey joined DOEI in August 2007, having received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from The Johns Hopkins University in 2006.  James's doctoral research focused on the development of new navigation techniques for oceanographic submersibles with the goal of improving the automated control of these vehicles and the utility of data obtained by these vehicles for oceanographic science.  While in graduate school, James, in collaboration with his adviser Louis Whitcomb, developed the navigation system used on the Alvin submersible and the Jason II remotely operated vehicle. 

James's DOEI research, in collaboration with Dana Yoerger and Maurice Tivey, focuses on measuring gravity anomalies resulting from density variations with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).  Density variations – such as those created by fluid-impacted crust, mineral sulfide precipitation, or magmatic diking – create localized gravity anomalies that are often on the order of a few millionths of the Earth’s gravity field.  Measuring these gravity anomalies and combining them with other measurements, such as bathymetric sonar and magnetics, provides increased interpretive capabilities of the shallow ocean crust.  The application of gravity measurements at mid-ocean ridges (MORs) improves our understanding of the magmatic, geophysical, geochemical and biological processes occurring at MORs.  The scientific benefit of AUV gravity extends beyond MORs to include other regions with complex shallow crustal structure.

Obtaining gravity measurements with AUVs requires an AUV possessing stable vehicle dynamics, continued development of high-accuracy navigation techniques, and building a gravimeter capable of measuring small gravity anomalies that is suited to the unique space and power requirements of AUVs.  WHOI's new Sentry AUV is highly stable in pitch and roll and is capable of controlling depth to with a few centimeters, making it an ideal platform for obtaining AUV gravity measurements.  James is applying techniques developed in his thesis to further improve Sentry's navigation, thus enabling scientists to minimize errors in gravity measurements resulting from vehicle motion.  Perhaps the greatest challenge is developing precision gravimeters that are both compact and low-power, thus allowing them to be deployed on AUVs.  A recently awarded WHOI technology innovation award is enabling James to investigate potential sensors and conduct laboratory tests. 

James's broader research focuses on the application of engineering – particularly robotics and system theory –to oceanography.  Specifically, he is interested in researching sensing and estimation techniques that enable oceanographic submersibles to obtain previously unavailable measurements or increase the efficiency with which data is collected and combine these measurements with scientific models to improve our knowledge of oceanographic processes.  The interdisciplinary nature of this DOEI funded work is allowing James to apply his background in engineering to an important sensing problem while expanding his knowledge of the scientific processes that are essential to better understanding the oceans and the planet.

Karyn Rogers became a DOEI sponsored Postdoctoral Scholar in October of 2006. A summary of her research interests, current research work, and educational experience is detailed below.

I came to WHOI in September of 2006 as a DOEI Postdoctoral Scholar. My sponsors are Dr. Jeff Seewald of Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry and Dr. Stefan Sievert of the Biology Department. I study the interactions between microorganisms and their geochemical environment and I am particularly interested in how energy availability influences the kinds of organisms that inhabit various extreme environments. Organisms that use chemical energy to drive their life cycle are chemosynthetic (as opposed to photosynthetic, like plants). Humans are chemosynthesizers, but with a wide-ranging diet, including plants and animals. Chemosynthetic microorganisms that inhabit extreme environments often have a much more limited diet, sometimes relying on only a few chemical compounds for energy, thus they can be very sensitive to their geochemical surroundings. My research focuses on how energy availability influences diversity, productivity and competition among microorganisms in extreme environments.

At WHOI I am focusing on organisms that use organic compounds in their metabolism. Currently I am working on natural gas wells in southeastern Oklahoma in order to better understand how subsurface microbial communities can affect the makeup and isotopic composition of natural gas deposits. Syntrophic relationships between heterotrophic bacteria and methanogenic archaea may be responsible for organic acid and methane production in these wells.Furthermore, we are attempting to identify novel metabolisms in the resident archaea, particularly focusing on the production of C₂₊ alkanes from short chain carboxylic acids.Additionally, I will be participating in Stefan Sievert’s research cruise to the East Pacific Rise next winter where I will be identifying specific heterotrophic metabolic pathways among the thermophilic microorganisms found in these deep sea vents.

For my Ph.D. research I worked on the shallow marine hydrothermal system of Vulcano Island, Italy. Vulcano is one of seven volcanically active islands in the Aeolian archipelago just off the north coast of Sicily. There, I explored the geochemical, energetic and microbial diversity of the hydrothermal vents, seeps and wells of the island. I have also worked on the nearby island of Panarea where similar investigations are currently underway. In addition to my work with scientists at WHOI, I am also collaborating with colleagues from the University of Colorado (Boulder), University of Missouri (Columbia), University of Vermont, and UMass (Amherst) on various projects including exploring terrestrial analogs for fumarole environments on Mars; the role of organic sulfur compounds in deep sea vent biogeochemical cycles; primary productivity in sulfur-free karst caves; geochemical modeling of energy availability for thermophilic iron reducers under various geochemical conditions; and the application of artificial neural networks to better define how geochemical niches affect microbial community structure.

Prior to coming to WHOI, I received my Ph.D. (2006) from the Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, where I worked with Jan Amend. Previously, I received an M.S. (2001) from Stanford University, where I studied petroleum migration and mineral diagenesis in Western Greenland with Dennis Bird; and I received my A.B. (1996) from Harvard University, where I first was introduced to geochemistry by Dick Holland.In January of 2008, I will join the faculty in the Geology Department at the University of Missouri - Columbia, where I am currently building a new biogeochemistry laboratory along with my husband, Mitch Schulte.

Breea's primary research interest is how communities respond to environmental changes.  Specifically, she studies the causes and consequences of variability in the structure and composition of hydrothermal vent communities, in order to understand the resilience of communities to natural and anthropogenic disturbances and the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning, including productivity and nutrient cycling.  Currently, she is developing a mathematical model to investigate the contribution of local-scale ecological processes, including abiotic factors and biological interactions, on regional-scale patterns of species diversity.

Hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise (EPR) may host the highest regional species diversity of any mid-ocean ridge system.  This pattern has been attributed to regional processes, including geologic age, fast spreading rate, high- to intermediate-disturbance frequency and intensity, habitat heterogeneity, and extensive areas of diffuse hydrothermal flow.  However, local ecological processes can also influence regional and subsequently global patterns, when larval dispersal and/or adult migration “connects” local communities, such as the closely distributed animal assemblages within a hydrothermal vent site or among multiple vent sites among a mid-ocean ridge system.

In her PhD research, Breea used a combination of quantitative sampling and manipulative field experiments to characterize the ecology of the epifaunal community (polychaetes, gastropods, amphipods, etc.) associated with aggregations of the giant tubeworm Riftia pachyptila at the EPR.  Results from her work suggest that habitat provision or environmental modification by “foundation” species, such as Riftia, may contribute to the maintenance of regional species diversity at the EPR.

My hometown is named Lanzhou (also known as Lanchow), a city in central China on the banks of the Yellow River north of Chengdu and south of Mongolia.  I fell in love with geological sciences when I was very young, partly due to the mountains and strange-looking rocks carved by Yellow River, and partly due to my specifically chosen name, Zhengrong, given to me by my father. My name is formed by two Chinese characters, both of which are related to mountains.  After graduation from high school, I studied geochemistry at the Earth, Atmosphere and Planetary Science Department at the University of Science and Technology of China. In 1999, I started my Ph.D studies at the California Institute of Technology working with Prof. John Eiler on oxygen isotope geochemistry of Hawaiian volcanic rocks. I joined WHOI as a DOEI postdoctoral scholar in late 2005.  

Olivier Rouxel (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Recent findings have extended the biosphere to include the microbial life hosted in deep subsurface regions of the Earth's crust, such as the continental crust, terrestrial basalts, deep-sea sediments, deep oil reservoirs and at seafloor hydrothermal vents at mid ocean ridges and in deep oceanic crust. However, the study of the extent and nature of the active biosphere in the oceanic crust requires a new approach to overcome technical difficulties to recover and culture indigenous microbes and to develop new petrographic and geochemical tools to identify biogenic materials.

It is well known that crustal rocks react with oxygenated deep-sea water to form secondary minerals, including Fe-oxyhydroxides and clays minerals and the products of weathering reactions often persist for millions of years. Can we determine the extent to which microbes were involved in the alteration process though geological times?

To answer this fundamental question, I've joined the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOI to explore new tracers of the deep biosphere in seafloor hydrothermal systems and altered basalts. Recently, the role of neutrophilic chemolithoautotrophic Fe-oxidizing bacteria in weathering seafloor crustal materials, including basaltic glass and sulfide minerals has been identified (K. Edwards, WHOI) and I proposed to investigate Fe isotope systematic to provide new insights into the effects and extent of these bacteria in the oceanic crust. The approach involves the combination of contrasting experimental studies of mineral alteration with cultured microbial populations and sterile control and field studies in various environments (seafloor hydrothermal systems, altered basalts and coastal estuary systems).