Scott Wankel
My background lies in stable isotope biogeochemistry, specifically coupled isotopic (N and O) approaches to understanding nitrate cycling. Fundamentally, I am interested in how stable isotopes can be used (both at natural abundance and tracer level) along with other novel tools for exploring and improving our understanding of biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and carbon in aquatic environments.
Here in the Girguis Lab, I comprise perhaps the largest component of the 'gearhead' community. routinely tinkering, breaking, fixing, inventing and building anything that gets dreamt up. I am currently focusing on development of new approaches to coupling the measurement of biogeochemical processes in situ with the molecular assessment of the microbial communities responsible for carrying out environmentally important reactions; essentially attempting to improve the connection between more traditional biogeochemical and molecular microbiological approaches.
Specifically, through both lab-based flow-through reactor systems and 'deployable instrumentation,' my research focuses on anaerobic carbon and nitrogen metabolisms (such as NH4+ or CH4 oxidation) coupled to other redox reactions involving metals (such as Fe and Mn) in deep-sea environments such as hydrocarbon seeps and hydrothermal vents.
