Ellery Ingall

Dr. Ellery Ingall is a Professor in the School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology, part of the College of Sciences. His research focuses on astrobiology, atmospheric chemistry, biogeochemistry, and geochemical processes in extreme environments. He holds a Ph.D. in Geology from Yale University (1991), M.S. from University of Utah (1985), and B.S. from UC Santa Barbara (1981).

His work explores microbial habitability in hypersaline lakes, biosignature preservation in evaporitic systems, and iron solubility dynamics in aerosols and marine environments. Key projects include studies of Western Australian transient lakes as Mars analogues, Arctic atmospheric chlorine chemistry, and zinc incorporation in Antarctic diatoms. Ingall has contributed to NASA-funded initiatives like the Oceans Across Space and Time collaboration with Indigenous Australian groups. His lab develops novel techniques like electrodialysis for isolating organic molecules from brines and aerosols.

Awarded the 2009 Sigma Xi Best Faculty Paper Award at Georgia Tech, his research bridges geochemistry, microbiology, and planetary science. He advises students on topics ranging from marine dissolved organic phosphorus to trace metal cycling in ocean sediments. Ongoing projects include subsurface sampling technologies for ocean worlds and investigating microbial metabolism in polyextreme environments.

Labs/Teams: ES&T Building rooms 2125 (Lab) and 2130 (Office). Collaborates with synchrotron facilities and field sites in Antarctica, Arctic, and Australia.