
James F. Holden, Ph.D.
Professor
Jim studies high-temperature anaerobic microbes that grow in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Specifically, he is interested in microbial life in the Earth's crust that lives without sunlight or oxygen, the search for life on Earth and elsewhere, numerical modeling of microbial metabolism, microbe-mineral interactions, biomarkers, and the application of thermophiles in bioremediation and bioenergy. He has participated in two dozen oceanographic expeditions and personally made 11 dives to the bottom of the ocean in the deep-sea submarine Alvin and 61 dives using various remotely operated vehicles. He earned his Ph.D. in Oceanography at the University of Washington and was a post-doctoral researcher in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia.
Professor
Jim studies high-temperature anaerobic microbes that grow in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Specifically, he is interested in microbial life in the Earth's crust that lives without sunlight or oxygen, the search for life on Earth and elsewhere, numerical modeling of microbial metabolism, microbe-mineral interactions, biomarkers, and the application of thermophiles in bioremediation and bioenergy. He has participated in two dozen oceanographic expeditions and personally made 11 dives to the bottom of the ocean in the deep-sea submarine Alvin and 61 dives using various remotely operated vehicles. He earned his Ph.D. in Oceanography at the University of Washington and was a post-doctoral researcher in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia.

Briana Kubik
Ph.D. Graduate Student
Briana is using laboratory and computational approaches to model interspecies competition between thermophiles from hydrothermal vents.
Ph.D. Graduate Student
Briana is using laboratory and computational approaches to model interspecies competition between thermophiles from hydrothermal vents.

Harita Sistu
Ph.D. Graduate Student
Harita is studying the potential of a hyperthermophile to degrade organic waste and generate hydrogen as a energy product. The long-term-goal is to translate this process into an industrial-scale process.
Ph.D. Graduate Student
Harita is studying the potential of a hyperthermophile to degrade organic waste and generate hydrogen as a energy product. The long-term-goal is to translate this process into an industrial-scale process.
Gema Garcia
Ph.D. Graduate Student
Ph.D. Graduate Student