Research group Elling Organic Geochemistry & Geobiology

The Organic Geochemistry & Geobiology group studies organic molecules in modern and ancient microbes. We combine expertise from organic (bio)geochemistry, geomicrobiology, and molecular biology to study how and why microbes produce organic molecules (such as lipids, pigments, and co-factors) and to learn what the rock record of these molecules can tell us about earth’s climatic and geochemical evolution. Our main analytical tools are lipidomics via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, compound-specific stable isotope analysis, experimental microbiology, and phylogenetic analyses.