Alysia Cox

Alysia Cox is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry at Montana Technological University, part of the Lance College of Mines & Engineering. She has been a faculty member since 2015 and leads the Laboratory Exploring Geobiochemical Engineering and Natural Dynamics (LEGEND). She holds a PhD in Chemical Oceanography from MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a BS in Geological Sciences from Arizona State University.

Her research lies at the intersection of geochemistry and biochemistry, focusing on microbial proteins and their interactions with elemental cycles in diverse environments. Key systems include terrestrial hot springs, alpine lakes, marine realms, acid mine drainage, and deep life environments. She integrates proteomic techniques with geochemical context to understand active biogeochemical processes and Earth-life coevolution.

Her recent publications emphasize microbial responses to nutrient and metal stress, deep carbon cycling, and thermodynamics in hydrothermal systems. These works reflect a strong trend in combining molecular biology with environmental geochemistry to decode energy and nutrient flows in extreme and natural settings.

Selected Honors & Awards:

• Montana Tech Merit Award (2019)
• Frontiers Spotlight Award Finalist (2018)
• UNOLS Chief Scientist Training Program (Alvin diver, 2018)
• MIT Presidential Graduate Fellow (2005)
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Honorable Mention (2004, 2005)
• ASU Moeur Award (2004)

Dr. Cox advises graduate students through her LEGEND lab and has played a pivotal role in establishing the Earth Science and Engineering PhD program at Montana Tech. She has received research support through national programs including the Deep Carbon Observatory and UNOLS. She teaches courses such as Environmental Chemistry, Geochemical Modeling, and Organic Chemistry.

She leads the LEGEND lab, which conducts experimental, field, and computational research on biogeochemical dynamics. The lab integrates lab-based nutrient stress experiments with field investigations in geochemical gradients and biological rate measurements, aiming to build predictive frameworks for Earth's biotic-abiotic energy cycles.