Anne Bernhard

Anne Bernhard is the Katharine Blunt Professor of Biology and Chair of the Biology Department at Connecticut College, where she has served since 2004. She is a prominent researcher in microbial ecology with a focus on coastal ecosystems.

Her research interests include:

• Microbial ecology of estuaries and salt marshes
• Community ecology and population dynamics of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
• Nitrogen cycle processes in coastal ecosystems
• Environmental changes and microbial community responses

Professor Bernhard teaches Ecology, Marine Ecology, Molecular Ecology and Microbiology, emphasizing scientific skills including curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and communication. She integrates her research into teaching to provide students with hands-on discovery experiences.

Her work is funded by the National Science Foundation and Connecticut DEP Long Island Sound Fund. She has published numerous articles in prestigious journals including Nature, Environmental Microbiology, and Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Professor Bernhard actively involves undergraduate students in her research program, with many conducting independent projects in her laboratory. Her research combines field and laboratory approaches, including molecular techniques to identify and characterize microorganisms in coastal environments.