Rachel Poretsky

I am a Microbial Ecologist trained as a Marine Scientist. I am interested in microbial ecology and biogeochemistry, bacterial diversity, and community structure and interactions in natural environments. My research involves exploring the functional diversity of bacteria in marine, freshwater, and urban, aquatic environments (e.g., the Chicago River) through the direct retrieval and analysis of microbial genes (metagenomics) and gene transcripts (metatranscriptomics). By identifying factors involved in the activity and diversity of bacteria, it may be possible to better understand how bacterial communities, and consequently, biogeochemical cycles will respond to environmental changes and other perturbations.