Lee J. Kerkhof Associate Professor Marine microbiology-molecular biology, microbial population dynamics

Email:
Phone: 732-932-6555 x.335

Education: Ph.D., University of California, San Diego

Research Interests:
Microbial ecology is in the midst of a revolution. The direct analysis of nucleic acids in bacterial biomass has greatly changed our perceptions of bacterial communities in nature. Tremendous strides have been made over the last 10 years in documenting the extent of microbial diversity in a variety of habitats (for review, Woese 1987; Torsvik, et al. 1996; Head, et al. 1998; Hugenholtz, et al. 1998). However, little is know about the forces/factors driving this microbial diversity.

With the help of numerous graduate students and post docs during my 5 years as an Assistant Professor, I have been analyzing samples from microcosms, bioreactors, hydroponics, and marine systems using molecular approaches to address these major questions confronting microbial ecology today.