Maureen L. Coleman

Our group studies microbial population diversity, ecology, and evolution. We focus primarily on freshwater and marine systems, and we use a combination of laboratory experiments, field observations, and computational analyses. Our current projects include 1) the role of marine viruses in biogeochemical processes; 2) the physiology and genetics of photoheterotrophy; and 3) phylogenetic and metabolic diversity of microbes in the Laurentian Great Lakes.

MIT/Caltech
Pasadena, CA
postdoc - Geobiology
2011

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Ph.D. - Environmental Microbiology
2008

Tracking nitrogen allocation to proteome biosynthesis in a marine microbial community.
Tracking nitrogen allocation to proteome biosynthesis in a marine microbial community. Nat Microbiol. 2023 03; 8(3):498-509.
PMID: 36635571

Genome Streamlining, Proteorhodopsin, and Organic Nitrogen Metabolism in Freshwater Nitrifiers.
Genome Streamlining, Proteorhodopsin, and Organic Nitrogen Metabolism in Freshwater Nitrifiers. mBio. 2022 06 28; 13(3):e0237921.
PMID: 35435701

Diagnosing nutritional stress in the oceans.
Diagnosing nutritional stress in the oceans. Science. 2021 04 16; 372(6539):239-240.
PMID: 33859023

Phosphorus Release and Regeneration Following Laboratory Lysis of Bacterial Cells.
Phosphorus Release and Regeneration Following Laboratory Lysis of Bacterial Cells. Front Microbiol. 2021; 12:641700.
PMID: 33897649

Microbial communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes reflect connectivity and local biogeochemistry.
Microbial communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes reflect connectivity and local biogeochemistry. Environ Microbiol. 2020 01; 22(1):433-446.
PMID: 31736217

Metabolic and biogeochemical consequences of viral infection in aquatic ecosystems.
Metabolic and biogeochemical consequences of viral infection in aquatic ecosystems. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2020 01; 18(1):21-34.
PMID: 31690825

Nitrogen sourcing during viral infection of marine cyanobacteria.
Nitrogen sourcing during viral infection of marine cyanobacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 07 30; 116(31):15590-15595.
PMID: 31308237

Reevaluating the Salty Divide: Phylogenetic Specificity of Transitions between Marine and Freshwater Systems.
Reevaluating the Salty Divide: Phylogenetic Specificity of Transitions between Marine and Freshwater Systems. mSystems. 2018 Nov-Dec; 3(6).
PMID: 30443603

Genome-scale fitness profile of Caulobacter crescentus grown in natural freshwater.
Genome-scale fitness profile of Caulobacter crescentus grown in natural freshwater. ISME J. 2019 02; 13(2):523-536.
PMID: 30297849

Distinct molecular signatures in dissolved organic matter produced by viral lysis of marine cyanobacteria.
Distinct molecular signatures in dissolved organic matter produced by viral lysis of marine cyanobacteria. Environ Microbiol. 2018 08; 20(8):3001-3011.
PMID: 30047191

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Sloan Research Fellow in Ocean Sciences
2014