About

Kenneth Henry Nealson
Wrigley Chair in Environmental Studies and Professor of Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences

Contact Information
Office: ZHS 227
Phone: (213) 821-2271
E-mail: knealson@wrigley.usc.edu

 

Education
B.S. Biochemistry, University of Chicago, 1/1965
Ph.D. Microbiology, University of Chicago, 1/1969
 

Academic Appointment, Affiliation, and Employment History
Wrigley Professor of Geobiology, University of Southern California, 10/01/2001-  
Senior Scientist, Professor, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, 10/01/1997-10/01/2001  
Distinguished Professor, Center Great Lakes Studies, University of Wisconsin, 10/01/1985-10/01/1997  
Professor, Scripps Inst. Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, 10/01/1973-10/01/1985  
 

Description of Research

Summary Statement of Research Interests
Professor Nealson is one of the pioneers of the field of modern geobiology – an area of science that tackles the still largely unexplored domain where the processes and chemistry of life intersect with the planet's mineral and metal chemistry. In his early work as a marine microbiologist, Nealson discovered quorum sensing, the phenomenon in which microbial communities create light. As one of the first to recognize the importance of microorganisms in catalyzing redox reactions in the environment, he has led the development of tools to study these organisms. Nealson's techniques, used to study microbial populations through genetic identification, are now considered standard in analyzing microbes found in biofilms. On a much larger scale, Nealson has studied the cycling of such minerals as iron and manganese, revealing the key role of microorganisms in these biogeochemical processes. More recently, he has turned to the understanding of how life can function in extreme environments, and he is directing efforts at NASA to search for life and evidence of ancient life in the solar system. Recent work has involved the systems biology and comparative genomics of a group of organisms in the genus Shewanella, as well as adapting his laboratory work to the application of using microbes to produce energy from waste materials in microbial fuel cells.
 

Research Specialties
Microbial physiology and genomics; Environmental microbiology; Metagenomics of natural populations; Microbial Fuel Cells
 

Honors and Awards
Endowed Chair, Wrigley Chair in Environmental Studies, 9/1/2001-  
Proctor and Gamble Medal in Environmental Microbiology, 5/2003  
Distinguished Visiting Researcher Award presented by Joint Oceanographic Institution, 1996  
Fellow (or Equivalent) of National Society in Discipline, American Academy of Microbiology, 1994  
Guggenheim Fellowship Recipient, 1982  
 
 
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