Fields, Matthew

Office: 366 Barnard Hall
Specialty: Environmental biofilms
E-mail: matthew.fields@montana.edu

The physiology and ecology lab is interested in “environmental” organisms and biofilms involved in a variety of processes that include nitrate contamination, heavy metal reduction, metal corrosion, extremophiles, and bio-energy. Our work is focused on the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors that mediate control over physiology and modes of growth, and how signals are sensed and cells respond accordingly in order to optimize metabolism. We study both monocultures and indigenous microbial communities to better understand the interrelationships between genomic content and phenotype at different levels of resolution (i.e., DNA to community), and how these attributes contribute to stress and survival of biological cells.