معرفی
Dr Joanne Boden is a Research Fellow at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews. Her research focuses on the co-evolution of Earth and life over hundreds of millions of years, employing bioinformatic tools such as phylogenetic analyses, Bayesian molecular clocks, and genome assembly to study microbial genomes. She investigates key metabolisms like antioxidant enzymes and iron transporters, as well as life history strategies such as the transition to multicellularity in ancestral organisms.
Her work explores how ancient life interacted with extreme environments, including anoxic atmospheres and periods of extreme cold. While historically focusing on cyanobacteria, her research now expands to phosphorus utilization across diverse prokaryotes. She collaborates on interdisciplinary projects involving Mars analogue systems and hydrothermal vent ecosystems, contributing to understanding early Earth biogeochemical cycles.
Recent studies include phosphite bioavailability during the Great Oxidation Event, nitrogen cycling in terrestrial hot springs, and phylogenomic timing of phosphorus-cycling enzymes. Her work integrates experimental geochemistry with genomic data to reconstruct past microbial metabolisms, bridging geology and microbiology.
Dr Boden has published extensively in high-impact journals like Nature Communications, Science Advances, and Geobiology, with a focus on phosphorus, sulfur, and iron cycling. She leads projects funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), including datasets on microbial communities and experimental iron oxide systems.
