Elizabeth Kujawinski

Last updated
Elizabeth Kujawinski
Alma mater Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Scientific career
InstitutionsWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Barnard College
Columbia University
Thesis The effect of protozoan grazers on the cycling of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in marine systems  (2000)

Elizabeth Kujawinski is an American oceanographer who is Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where she works as Program Director of the Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet. Her research considers analytical chemistry, chemical oceanography, microbiology and microbial ecology. She is interested in what controls the composition of organic materials in aquatic systems.

Contents

Early life and education

Kujawinski was an undergraduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). [1] She was awarded the undergraduate teaching award from the Department of Chemistry.[ citation needed ] She moved to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) as a doctoral researcher, where she worked in chemical oceanography. [1] Her doctoral research considered the effect of protozoan grazers on polychlorinated biphenyl cycling. [2] After graduating Kujawinski joined the Ohio State University as a postdoctoral scholar.[ citation needed ]

Research and career

Kujawinski joined the faculty at Barnard College in 2002, and held an adjunct position at Columbia University.[ citation needed ] She spent two years at Barnard College before being awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and returning to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. [3]

In an effort to understand how cellular metabolism impacts biogeochemical cycles, Kujawinski studies intra- and extracellular metabolic profiles. This information allows Kujawinski to identify which factors influence microbial interactions and the transformation of dissolved organic matter. [4] [5] Marine organic matter comprises carbon compounds that contain heteroatoms such as oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur. [6] She makes use of high-resolution mass spectrometry and automated high through-put methods to analyze the low molecular waste organic materials in seawater. [6] [7] The majority of this organic matter is found deep within the ocean, where it serves as an energy source for microorganisms. Kujawinski is interested in the interplay between marine organisms releasing organic matter and organic matter serving as a food source for microorganisms. [8] [9] For example, Kujawinski identified that dihydrocypropanesulfonate and N-Acetyltaurine are released into the ocean by Phytoplankton and later removed by bacteria. [9] She works alongside the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences to establish which chemical compounds are produced by microorganisms. She is also interested in how these microorganisms evolve and how they interact via zooplankton and viruses. [8]

Kujawinski worked on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. [10] During the ten years after the spill, Kujawinski analyzed what had been learnt in the time following the disaster. She found that the oil spill had helped scientists learn how bacteria are degrading fossil fuels released within the ocean, how the sun catalyzes the breakdown of crude oil, the impact of dispersants and how different parts of the ecosystem recovered. [11] [12]

Kujawinski was appointed Director of the National Science Foundation Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet in 2021. [13] The Center looks to understand the behaviour of bioreactive molecules and ocean microbes. [14]

Selected publications

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 "Staff Profile Elizabeth Kujawinski". WHOI. Archived from the original on 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  2. ↑ Kujawinski, Elizabeth B; Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (2000). The effect of protozoan grazers on the cycling of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in marine systems. Cambridge, Mass.; Woods Hole, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology ; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. OCLC   682113775.
  3. ↑ "NSF Award Search: Award # 0529101 - CAREER: Biologically-Mediated Molecular-Level Transformations of Marine Organic Matter". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  4. ↑ "Metabolites from cultured microorganisms – Molecular Environmental Science" . Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  5. ↑ Kujawinski, Elizabeth B. (2011-01-15). "The Impact of Microbial Metabolism on Marine Dissolved Organic Matter". Annual Review of Marine Science. 3 (1): 567–599. Bibcode:2011ARMS....3..567K. doi:10.1146/annurev-marine-120308-081003. hdl: 1912/4361 . ISSN   1941-1405. PMID   21329217. S2CID   13708052.
  6. 1 2 "Characterizing marine organic matter – Molecular Environmental Science" . Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  7. ↑ "Keck Futures Initiative and the Gulf Research Program Award $1.55 Million for 21 Projects". www8.nationalacademies.org. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  8. 1 2 "Organic matter in the marine environment – Molecular Environmental Science" . Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  9. 1 2 Flurry, Alan (2015-01-16). "Researchers identify missing component in marine carbon, sulfur cycles". UGA Today. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  10. ↑ Kaufman, Leslie (2011-04-11). "Gulf's Complexity and Resilience Seen in Studies of Oil Spill". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  11. ↑ "10 years after Deepwater Horizon — what has science learned from the spill?". The New York Times . 2020-04-24. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07.
  12. ↑ Biello, David. "One Year After BP Oil Spill, At Least 1.1 Million Barrels Still Missing". Scientific American. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  13. ↑ "New science and technology centers to address vexing societal problems". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  14. ↑ "WHOI selected for new NSF science & technology center". WHOI. Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
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