Leadership
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Founder, Executive Director
Dr. Tierney is a co-founder and the executive director of the Two Frontiers Project – he is a jointly appointed fellow across the labs of Dr. Christopher Mason and Dr. George Church. His research sits at the intersection of machine learning, microbiology, and human health, studying how artificial intelligence can be used to enhance our ability to build next-generation microbial therapeutics, diagnostics for both human disease and environmental outcomes, with a focus on aerospace medicine and microbially driven molecular recycling (i.e., carbon capture). Additionally, he is the Director of Informatics for the MetaSUB consortium, which spans 30 countries and is, among other things, leading COVID-19 wastewater tracking efforts globally, as well as the Co-Chair of NASA’s Microbial Analysis Working Group, which develops standards and methods for studying the use of microbes in and their adaptation to space travel. Dr. Tierney completed his undergraduate studies with joint degrees in Economics and Biology from Duke University.
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Founder, Director of Operations
Krista is a biologist who specializes in environmental genomics. Krista worked previously on clinical research centered around neurodegenerative diseases, specifically identifying risk factors for Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), examining the blood-brain barrier. In addition to her role in the Two Frontiers Project, she currently holds a position as a Research Specialist atW Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University. Her recent work has focused on microbiology, metagenomic and data analyses. Specifically, Krista works with a wide array of human and environmental samples and specializes in preparing low-biomass samples for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). She is acquainted with a wide array of NGS platforms (i.e., Illumina, Oxford Nanopore, and Pacific Biosciences of California (PacBio)). In 2021, Krista was appointed to the role of Executive Director of the MetaSUB Consortium, an interdisciplinary initiative composed of experts across many fields, including genomics, data analysis, engineering, public health, and design (www.metasub.org).
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Founder, Director of Research and Development
James Henriksen is an environmental microbiologist and bioinformatician who draws on the vast scope of microbial biochemical diversity to address global issues. He has over 20 years of experience in building experimental platforms and bioinformatics pipelines in DOE National Labs, universities, and biotech startups. In addition to his role in the Two Frontiers Project, he currently holds a Research Scientist position at Colorado State University in the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. His work focuses on discovering the novel biochemical capabilities of microbiomes using emerging technology in the field, high-throughput culturing in the lab, and novel computational approaches.
The Team
Carbon Initiative
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Davide is a postdoctoral researcher in a joint project between the University of Tsukuba & ICONA (International CO2 Natural Analogues Network). A recent graduate with a Ph.D., in Marine Ecology from the University of Palermo, Davide's research interests focus on understanding the impacts of environmental changes on marine communities. Currently, he is particularly interested in predicting the potential for fish behavioral and physiological local adaptation to projected future ocean conditions at CO2 seeps.
Initiative(s): Carbon1
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Dr. Marco Milazzo, professor of marine ecology at Palermo University (Italy), is interested in all aspects of marine biodiversity, marine species’ responses to climate change and in seeking conservation solutions for a healthy ocean. Marco’s experiments are based in temperate and tropical coastal waters in the Mediterranean and the Pacific, including carbon dioxide gradients in volcanic seeps, where continuous underwater emissions of CO2 provide a powerful tool to understand the ability of marine species to acclimatize/adapt – and in some instances to thrive – under high CO2 conditions.
Initiative(s): Carbon1
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Paola Quatrini is a professor at the Università degli Studi di Palermo, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche. She is the head of the Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology (EMMELab). Her team’s main research fields are soil and water microbial ecology, soil microbiota of semi-arid soils threatened by desertification, bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated matrices, and bioremediation of groundwater contaminated by chlorinated solvent.
Initiative(s): Carbon1
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Max is a microbiologist and geneticist interested in applying microbiology in climate science. He is a scientist at the Wyss Institute working with George Church. He received his PhD from Harvard University and his BS from UC Berkeley. Previously, he was on the Emerging Technologies team at Amyris, Inc. Max is a strong photosynthesis advocate and h4XX0r of basepairs.
Initiative(s): Carbon1
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Jeremy Wain Hirschberg did his undergraduate studies in neuroscience at the University of Puget Sound and also has a Master’s degree in Space Studies from the International Space University. He currently works as a Research Specialist in Dr. Christopher Mason’s lab at Weill Cornell Medicine, using a multi-omic appraoch to study the effects of spaceflight on astronauts while building out the first aerospace focused biobank. Jeremy hopes to leverage the toolbox of biotechnology to solve some of the biggest problems we face here on Earth, and the big problems we will encounter as we explore beyond it.
Initiative(s): Carbon2
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Ted Chavkin is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Brian Pfleger's lab at Univeristy of Wisconsin Madison. He has a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Harvard University and 2 years of experience working in renewable biotech at REG Life Sciences. His research is focused on generating sustainable products through cyanobacteria metabolic engineering. He also enjoys baking, home brewing, and making stained glass windows of Pokemon.
Initiative(s): Carbon1, Carbon2
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Camille is an undergraduate at Colorado State University in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. She isolates and tests Cyanobacterial from diverse environments. Camille enjoys working with molecular tools and environmental cyanobacteria to solve global-scale problems.
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Gabriele’s research foci include Marine Ecology and Biology. He mostly studies the effects of different drivers of changes on marine communities. Gabriele is currently involved in different projects focused on the impact of human activities on marine ecosystems, especially on species conservation and long-term ocean acidification effects.
Initiative(s): Carbon1
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John Kowitz combines his background in freediving, love for the ocean, and passion for photography to capture stunning underwater images. John is a freediving instructor, spearfishing guide, as well as a freediving guide for a variety of pelagic species.
Through his work, he displays an array of images including marine life and people in an artistic manner. He combines knowledge learned in several different freediving disciplines and his background in health care to make safety a priority. He has worked with leading brands and influencers in the ocean and adventure industry. He hopes his passion will inspire people to explore, protect, and expand efforts in ocean conservation.
Initiative(s): Carbon1, Carbon2
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Gresia is a Biotechnology Engineer with concentration in genetics and microbiology. She has previously gained experience in various projects, including the design of molecular scaffolds and the utilization of microalgae for biomass production. In 2023, she joined Mason Lab at Weill Cornell Medical College as a volunteer, working on the project regarding radioprotective genes and the role of the DSUP protein in radiation protection. Additionally, she has been involved in designing components for nanosatellites at Samara University. As a member of the Youth Scientific Society in Mexico, Gresia has actively contributed to the promotion of science through television programs, conferences, and social media content.
Currently, she works in the Government of Guanajuato in the science and technology department. In August 2024, she will begin her master's degree in Biological Sciences at Fordham University. Gresia aims to utilize biological tools to address issues both on Earth and in space.
Coral Initiative
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Erika Santoro is a marine microbiologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Red Sea Research Center. She has been investigating the role of microorganisms in coral thermal resistance, seeking to understand the interactions between the different members of the holobiont using multi-omics and culturing approaches. She has also been developing and testing the efficiency of coral probiotics in closed systems and open waters, investigating the microbial mechanisms involved in host protection and recovery from thermal stress. As a member of the Earlier career chapter of the International Coral Reef Society, Erika contributes to science communication, promoting the accessibility of science to people with different languages and backgrounds.
Initiative(s): Coral1
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Prof. Peixoto is a pioneer in the development of probiotics for corals. Her research has outlined the protocols and proved the concept that the use of coral probiotics can increase the host’s resilience and resistance against environmental threats. This pioneering work has helped pave the way for new approaches to reveal and explore mechanisms of marine microbiology and symbiotic interactions. Her research addresses the diversity, ecological role and biotechnological potential of microorganisms associated with marine organisms. She also seeks to investigate and understand key symbiotic mechanisms promoting the host's resistance and resilience against different impacts as part of her projects on coral reef protection, restoration and rehabilitation. In addition, as the vice-president (August 2022-2024) and President (2024-2026) of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME), founder and co-chair of the Beneficial Microbes for Marine Organisms network (BMMO), member of the council (and fellow) of the International Coral Reef Society, co-chair of the Coral Conservation Committee for the International Coral Reef Society (ICRS) and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the G-20 Coral R&D Accelerator Platform (CORDAP), she promotes collaborative work and contributes on powerful international platforms to promote science-driven solutions to protect coral reefs.
Initiative(s): Coral1
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Gaby received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and economics from Colby College and her masters in marine biology from Northeastern University. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in the Seascape Ecology Lab at LSU studying the ecology of mesophotic coral ecosystems and coral disease. Her research interests are focused on the physiological adaptations of mesophotic coral and evaluating the potential for mesophotic coral ecosystems to serve as refuges from anthropogenic and climate stress. Her previous research focused on acclimatization and thermal stress on large benthic foraminifera in Taiwan as well as photoacclimatization in mesophotic corals in Little Cayman. Gaby is originally from Southern California where she first learned to scuba dive in the temperate kelp forests. Since that time, she received her certification as a scuba instructor as well as an open-circuit and closed-circuit technical diver. She loves combining her passion for science and technical diving studying tropical mesophotic coral reefs.
Initiative(s): Coral
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Emily has recently graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences. She isolates diverse microbes from corals and extreme environments to discover new antibiotics. Emily is dedicated to solving the crisis of antibiotic resistance and discovering applications in coral health.