MSE Speaker Series 2025 and Social HoursApril 30, 2025
“The
role of methane-producing anaerobes in One Health,” presented by Dr. Geo
Santiago-Martínez.
Dr.
Santiago-Martínez is an Assistant Professor for
Microbiology at The University of Connecticut, specializing in the physiology
of methanogens and the biochemistry of biomolecules involved in their
metabolism. Using comparative omics data, his team first identifies possible
molecular mechanisms and then experimentally tests functions and phenotypes.
The goal of this research program is to understand the role of methanogens in
nutrient cycling and the health of host-associated ecosystems and microbiomes.
Projects at the UConn Microbial Ecophysiology Lab focus on evaluating the
molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular processes in methanogens and how
energy status influences their ability to withstand environmental stress
conditions, using protocols on anaerobic microbial physiology, classical biochemical
approaches, transcriptomic analysis, ultrastructure, metabolic modeling, and
genetic manipulation.
