Lisa Y. Stein

Lisa Y. Stein, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Associate Dean in the Deans Office of the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on climate change microbiology, particularly the interplay between microbial metabolism and greenhouse gas production. She leads projects on methane oxidation, nitrogen cycle dynamics, and biotechnological applications of microorganisms. Dr. Stein serves on high-profile committees such as the National Academies' Atmospheric Methane Removal panel and is an Elected Member of the American Academy of Microbiology. Her work bridges environmental science, genomics, and industrial biotechnology to address global challenges like nitrogen pollution and methane mitigation.

Research Interests:

• Physiology and genomics of nitrification/denitrification
• Microbial contributions to greenhouse gas emissions
• Industrialization of single-carbon feedstock utilization
• Enhancing nitrogen use efficiency in crops

Current Projects include:

• MOB Squad: Methane oxidation linkages, bioreactor development, and industrial product screening
• Team Nitro: Ammonia-oxidizer metabolism, nitrous oxide regulation, and crop improvement strategies

Awards: Elected to American Academy of Microbiology (2023). Active in policy initiatives via National Academies committees and workshops on agrigenomics and climate change.

Teaching: Leads MICRB 606/607 graduate seminars in Microbiology. Collaborates across disciplines to train next-generation environmental microbiologists.