Seminar: Scott Gifford – UNC-CH

UNC-CH’s Department of Marine Sciences is proud to host a guest seminar by Scott Gifford. This event is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4th, at 12:30 pm. This seminar is remote only and will be broadcast live online via Zoom (Meeting ID: 991-4917-3565).

Presenter Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Sewell Family Foundation Fellow, Dept. of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Title: Genomics as a Molecular Sensor of Earth’s Ecosystems

Abstract: Microbes are often at the center of the biogeochemical cycles that structure many of earth ecosystems, driving the flux of nutrients, energy, and even information flow. Genomic technologies, such as DNA and RNA sequencing have enabled us to peer into the black box of microbial processes driving these fluxes and transformations to see the organisms and molecular mechanisms behind them. However, these observations are often qualitative in nature, hampering our ability to connect molecular observations to biogeochemical rates and standing stocks. In this talk, I will discuss our groups efforts to link genomic insights to biogeochemical processes through quantitative metagenomics (sequencing of community DNA) and metatranscriptomics (sequencing of community RNA), providing examples from ecosystems in the Galapagos, Subarctic North Pacific, and Coastal North Carolina.