Anne Dekas

Anne Dekas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth System Science at Stanford University, affiliated with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. She holds a courtesy appointment in Earth and Planetary Sciences. Her research focuses on geomicrobiology, exploring how microbial life influences Earth's chemistry and climate, particularly in deep-sea environments. She earned a PhD in Geobiology from Caltech (2013) and an AB in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard (2004).

Her lab, the Dekas Geomicrobiology Laboratory, investigates microbial diversity and activity in the deep ocean, including carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling. Key research topics include greenhouse gas dynamics, subsurface microbiomes, and microbial adaptations to extreme environments. She has pioneered techniques combining molecular biology and isotope geochemistry to study microbial function in habitats like hydrothermal vents, hypersaline brines, and methane seeps.

Her work bridges Earth science and astrobiology, examining analogs for extraterrestrial ocean worlds. Notable findings include insights into ANME archaea scarcity in seeps and the role of urea in dark ocean nitrogen assimilation. She also explores soil carbon storage via anoxic microsites and the metabolic flexibility of SAR324 lineages.

Lab facilities are located in the Green Earth Sciences Building at Stanford. Her research has been supported by grants including the NSF CAREER award (2022) and NASA astrobiology initiatives. The lab actively collaborates on oceanographic expeditions and environmental management projects.