Mary-Cathrine Leewis
Biography
Education
- Ph.D., University of Alaska Fairbanks, Biological Sciences, 2014
- M.S., Northern Michigan University, Biology, 2006
- B.S., Northern Michigan University, Biology, Chemistry, French, 2004
Professional Experience
- 2016-Present Research Microbiologist (Post-Doc), U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA. Mentor: Mark Waldrop
- 2014-2016 Postdoctoral Research Associate (Microbial Ecology), Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Mentor: Mary Beth Leigh
- 2009-2014 Graduate Fellow (EPSCoR, INBRE, IAB), University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska.
- 2007-2008 Staff Scientist, Entrix, Inc. Barrington, Illinois.
- 2005-2006 Graduate Research Assistant, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in conjunction with the Vilas County Health Department
Additional Training
- 2014 DOE Joint Genome Institute, Microbial Genomics and Metagenomics Workshop. Walnut Creek, CA.
- 2013 Mothur Microbial Sequence Analysis Workshop. Detroit, MI
- 2012 MicroTrop Advanced Training in Tropical Microbiology: Soil Microbial Ecology and Ecosystem Services. LEMSAT & IRD in Dakar, Senegal
- 2009-2010 David L. Boren Graduate International Fellow at University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague, Czech Republic
- 2009 Arctic Plant Ecology Short Course, UNIS - University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, Norway
- 2009 The Theoretical and Practical Course on Molecular Approaches for in situ Biodegradation sponsored by the US-EC Task Force on Biotechnology Research
External Links:
Science and Products
Biogeochemistry of the Critical Zone: Origin and Fate of Organic Matter
Changing temperature, precipitation, and land use intensification has resulted in global soil degradation. The accompanying loss of soil organic matter (SOM) decreases important soil health services. Soil organic matter is a major global pool of carbon; if SOM can be increased, soils can mitigate elevated atmospheric CO2. However, there are major knowledge gaps in SOM persistence....
Life at the frozen limit: Microbial carbon metabolism across a Late Pleistocene permafrost chronosequence
Permafrost is an extreme habitat yet it hosts microbial populations that remain active over millennia. Using permafrost collected from a Pleistocene chronosequence (19 to 33 ka), we hypothesized that the functional genetic potential of microbial communities in permafrost would reflect microbial strategies to metabolize permafrost soluble organic...
Leewis, Mary-Cathrine; Berlemont, Renaud; Podgorski, David C.; Srinivas, Archana; Zito, Phoebe; Spencer, Robert G. M.; McFarland, Jack; Douglas, Thomas A.; Conaway, Christopher H.; Waldrop, Mark; Mackelprang, Rachel Low O2 level enhances CH4-derived carbon flow into microbial communities in landfill cover soils
CH4 oxidation in landfill cover soils plays a significant role in mitigating CH4 release to the atmosphere. Oxygen availability and the presence of co-contaminants are potentially important factors affecting CH4 oxidation rate and the fate of CH4-derived carbon. In this study, microbial populations that oxidize CH4 and the...
He, Ruo; Su, Yao; Leewis, Mary-Cathrine; Chu, Yi-Xuan; Wang, Jing; Ma, Ruo-Chan; Wu, Donglei; Zhan, Liang-Tong; Herriott, Ian Charold; Leigh, Mary Beth