Jeff Bowman

Jeff Bowman is an Associate Professor in the Integrative Oceanography Division at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. His research focuses on marine microbiology, polar ecology, astrobiology, and bioinformatics, with a particular emphasis on understanding microbial responses to environmental changes and extreme conditions. He holds a PhD in Oceanography and Astrobiology from the University of Washington.

Education:

• PhD, Oceanography and Astrobiology, University of Washington

Research Interests:

• Biological Impacts of Climate Change
• Genomics, Metagenomics, and Bioinformatics
• Marine Microbiology
• Polar Ecology

His work explores microbial ecosystems in extreme environments such as Arctic and Antarctic regions, hypersaline brines, and evaporitic lakes. Key themes include astrobiological implications of extremophile survival strategies and the development of novel sampling techniques like low-volume eDNA methods. Bowman’s research also addresses climate change impacts on polar ecosystems and microbiome-driven solutions for biodiversity conservation.

Labs & Teams:
Jeff Bowman leads projects within the Integrative Oceanography Division and collaborates internationally through initiatives like the Mangrove Microbiome Project. His lab maintains an active website (polarmicrobes.org) detailing ongoing research and fieldwork.