Patrick Thieringer

Biography and Research Interests

I am originally from Highland Park, New Jersey and began my academic career at Skidmore College in upstate New York. Starting my journey into geobiology, my PhD work at Colorado School of Mines focused on how water-rock interactions driven by serpentinization can support microbial life in the deep subsurface. Broadly, I investigated the biogeographic distribution of microbial life across geochemical conditions and their relevant lipid biosignatures. Additionally, I used a metapangenomic approach to understand the lifestyle adaptations of methanogenic populations within hyperalkaline fluids. Joining the Santoro lab and focusing on marine microbiology, I aim to combine previous bioinformatic experience with cultivation techniques to understand physiological adaptations of ammonia-oxidizing archaea from impacts of hydrostatic pressure.