People | David L. Kirchman

• B.A., magna cum laude, Biology, Lawrence University, 1976.
• M.S., Environmental Engineering, Harvard University, 1979.
• Ph.D., Environmental Engineering (Microbiology), Harvard University, 1982.

Microbial ecology of heterotrophic, photoheterotrophic and chemoautotrophic bacteria in aquatic environments (mainly estuaries and oceans); role of microbes in the carbon cycle; phylogenetic structure of bacterial assemblages as revealed by molecular techniques

Click here for methods used in the Kirchman lab.

• Heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic bacteria and archaea in the Arctic Ocean 
• Role of photoheterotrophic microbes in DOM uptake
• Metagenomic analysis of uncultured microbial assemblages

• Barbara Campbell,  Assistant Research Professor (Ph.D., Microbiology, Cornell University, 1993) - Chemoautotrophic processes in marine food webs, molecular ecology of marine systems, and microbial community dynamics of tundra ecosystems.
• Matthew T. Cottrell, Associate Scientist (Ph.D., Marine Science, University of Texas, Austin, 1995) - Ecology of heterotrophic marine bacteria including degradation of organic matter, bacterial chitinases and phylogenetic diversity in assemblages of marine bacteria. Innovative tools (Micro-FISH) establishing links between diversity in natural assemblages and variation in metabolic capacity.
• Liying Yu, Research Specialist - Applications of molecular techniques in microbial ecology.
• Raphael Lami, Postdoc (Ph.D., Oceanography, Université Pierre et Marine Curie-Paris, 2008) - Microbial ecology of photoheterotrophic bacteria.   
• Glenn Christman, M.S. Student, Marine Biosciences (B.S., Biochemistry, University of Delaware, 2005) - Chemoautotrophic microbes in the Arctic Ocean.
• Vanessa Michelou, Ph.D. Student, Marine Biosciences (B.S., Marine Science, University of South Carolina, 2004) - Microbial ecology of photoheterotrophic bacteria.
• Tiffany R. A. Straza, Ph.D. Student, Oceanography (B.S., Oceanography, University of Washington, 2005) - Bacterial community activity patterns across environments.
• Mrinalini P. Nikrad, Ph.D. Student, Marine Biosciences (B.S., Ecology, University of Colorado, 2003; M.S., Biomedical Sciences, University of Colorado, 2008)

Microbial Ecology, Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography, Writing Scientific Papers.

Click here for complete list

Cottrell, M.T. and D.L. Kirchman.  2009.  Photoheterotrophic microbes in the Arctic Ocean in summer and winter.  Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75:4958-4966.

Kirchman, D.L., V. Hill, M.T. Cottrell, R. Gradinger, R.R. Malmstrom, and A. Parker. 2009. Standing stocks, production, and respiration of phytoplankton and heterotrophic bacteria in the western Arctic Ocean. Deep Sea Res. II 56:1237-1248.

Kirchman, D.L., X.A.G. Moran, and H. Ducklow. 2009. Microbial growth in the polar oceans- role of temperature and potential impact of climate change. Nat. Rev. Micro. 7:451-459.

Straza, T.R.A., M.T. Cottrell, H.W. Ducklow, and D.L. Kirchman. 2009. Geographic and phylogenetic variation in bacterial biovolume as revealed by protein and nucleic acid staining. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75:4028-4034. 

Waidner, L.A., and D.L. Kirchman. 2008. Diversity and distribution of ecotypes of the aerobic anoxygenic phototrophy gene, pufM, in the Delaware Estuary. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 4012-4021.

Campbell, B. J., L. A. Waidner, M. T. Cottrell, and D. L. Kirchman.  2008.  Abundant proteorhodopsin genes in the North Atlantic Ocean.  Environ. Microbiol. 10:99-109.  doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2007.01436.x.

Elifantz, H., L.A. Waidner, M.T. Cottrell, and D.L. Kirchman. 2008. Diversity and abundance of glycosyl hydrolase family 5 in the North Atlantic Ocean. FEMS Microbial Ecol. 63:316-327.  doi:10.1111/j.1574-6941.2007.00429.x.

Michelou, V. K., M. T. Cottrell, and D. L. Kirchman. 2007. Light-stimulated bacterial production and amino acid assimilation by cyanobacteria and other microbes in the North Atlantic Ocean. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 5539-5546.

Cottrell, M. T., L. Yu, and D. L. Kirchman. 2005. Sequence and expression analyses of Cytophaga-like hydrolases in a western Arctic metagenomic library and the Sargasso Sea. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 8506-8513.

Elifantz, H. R., R. R. Malmstrom, M.T., Cottrell, and D.L. Kirchman. 2005. Assimilation of polysaccharides and glucose by major bacterial groups in the Delaware Estuary. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7799-7805.

Books

Microbial Ecology of the Oceans. Published by John Wiley & Sons, April 2000.

Microbial Ecology of the Oceans, Second edition. Published by John Wiley & Sons, June 2008.

Student Publications

Gerardo Chin-Leo, M.S. 1985, Ph.D. 1989; Faculty Member, Evergreen State College, Environmental Studies, Olympia, Washington.

Edward Urban, Ph.D., 1989; Executive Director, Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, Newark, Delaware.

Richard Keil, Ph.D., 1991; Associate Professor, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

Matthew Hoch, Ph.D., 1992; Assistant Professor of Aquatic and Microbial Ecology, The State University of Pennsylvania, York, Pennsylvania.

Michael Montgomery, Ph.D., 1992; Research Microbiologist, Environmental Quality Sciences, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

James Rich, M.S., 1994; Web Architect, Euro RSCG 4D, Boston, Massachusetts.

Niels Borch, Ph.D., 1998; Freshwater Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jessica Moore, M.S., 1999; Intervet, Inc., Millsboro, Delaware.

Kimberly Hoffman McDonough, M.S., 2000; GCP Auditor, Clinical Quality and  Compliance, Lantheus Medical Imaging, North Billerica, Massachusetts.

Sínead Ní Chadhain, Ph.D., 2001; Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama.

Dawn Castle, Ph.D., 2003; Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Kathryn Preen, M.S., 2003; Natural Resources Biologist, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis, Maryland.

Paul Jones, M.S., 2005; Ph.D. candidate, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.

Rex Malmstrom, Ph.D., 2006; Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Hila Elifantz, Ph.D., 2006; Scholar, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet-Dagan, Israel.

Lisa Waidner, Ph.D., 2007; Postdoctoral Researcher, Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Newark, Delaware.

Selected Service Activities

• Chair of Division N, American Society of Microbiology (1990)
• Editorial Board, Microbial Ecology (1991-1993)
• Editor-in-chief, Limnology and Oceanography (1993-1998)
• Editorial Board, Aquatic Microbial Ecology (1995-2006)
• Editorial Board, FEMS Microbiological Ecology (1997-present)
• Editorial Board, Applied and Environmental Microbiology (2002-2008)
• ASM Committee on Global Change (1999)
• NSF Review Panels (1987-2007)
• DOE Review Panels (2003, 2006, 2008)
• NSF-NIH Review Panel (2003)
• Marine Biosciences Program Director, College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware (1994-1998)
• Associate Dean, College of Marine Studies, University of Delaware (2001-2006)

Interested in Graduate School?

Students interested in graduate school under Dave Kirchman's guidance are encouraged to contact him directly by email (kirchman@udel.edu). General information about application procedures can be found here. Students are fully supported usually by research grants and, for those with exceptional records, by college and university-wide fellowships. In either case, students have great freedom in formulating research topics and course curricula. Positions are currently available in Kirchman's lab on projects supported by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.

• Student Publications
• Scenes From Past Research Travels
• Visit Lewes