Jared R. Leadbetter

Jared R. Leadbetter is Professor of Environmental Microbiology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), affiliated with the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences and the Environmental Science and Engineering department. He serves as Option Representative for Geobiology and has held positions at Caltech since 2000, progressing from Assistant Professor (2000-06) to Associate Professor (2006-10) to full Professor (2010-present).

Leadbetter's research centers on environmental microbiology with specific focus on chemolithoautotrophic microbes (particularly manganese oxidizers), termite gut symbionts, spirochete diversity, and lignocellulose-degrading systems. His methodology integrates classical cultivation techniques with cutting-edge genomic, transcriptomic, and microfluidic approaches. His work frequently employs cryoelectron tomography, FISH-enabled NanoSIMS, and (meta)genomic analyses to study microbial physiology in environmental contexts.

Recent publication trends (2014-2025) demonstrate sustained focus on microbial metabolism in extreme environments, with significant contributions to understanding manganese-based chemolithoautotrophy, termite-microbe symbioses, and quorum sensing mechanisms. His research spans freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems, with particular emphasis on uncultivated microbes and their biogeochemical roles.

Leadbetter teaches undergraduate courses including ESE/Bi 166: Microbial Physiology and FS/ESE/Ge 18: The Unseen Microbial World in Plain Sight, where he emphasizes field-based microbial observation. His educational philosophy highlights microbes as fundamental drivers of Earth's systems, famously paraphrasing that humans are merely 'the hood ornament on a really interesting car' while microbes constitute 'what's under the hood'.