Eric E. Roden

Eric E. Roden is the Albert and Alice Weeks Professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research focuses on biogeochemical processes in aquatic environments, particularly anaerobic microbial metabolism in soils and sediments. He investigates microbial roles in geochemical cycling of metals, organic contaminants, and energy flow in sedimentary systems.

Roden's work spans diverse environments including riverbed sediments, aquifers, and early Earth analogs. Key themes include microbial iron/sulfur cycling, methane dynamics in critical zones, and electroactive bacterioplankton ecology. He employs experimental, field, and modeling approaches to understand redox processes and environmental impacts of microbial activity.

His research has advanced understanding of anaerobic microbial physiology, contaminant fate, and early Earth biogeochemistry. Current projects address methane emissions from riverbeds, microbial mediation of pyrite oxidation, and geochemical implications of Archean hematite formations.

Roden advises graduate students like Hanna Kollbaum and collaborates on projects funded through grants exploring biogeochemical frontiers. His lab integrates microbiology, geochemistry, and hydrology to address pressing environmental questions.