معرفی
Associate Professor Marco Coolen is an academic at Curtin University, serving as Deputy Director of the WA Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre. He holds a joint affiliation with the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. His research focuses on molecular palaeoecology and geomicrobiology, particularly using ancient DNA (sedaDNA) to study past ecosystem-climate interactions and microbial responses to environmental changes. Coolen has led projects funded by institutions like the US National Science Foundation (NSF), investigating topics such as monsoon-driven OMZ expansions in the Indian Ocean and microbial activities in subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Education and Professional Background: Coolen completed his PhD in Oldenburg and held postdoctoral roles at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and the University of Groningen. He later served as an Associate Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) before joining Curtin in 2015. His expertise spans microbial ecology, lipid biomarkers, and bioinformatics analysis of metagenomic datasets.
Research Interests: Coolen’s work integrates cutting-edge molecular tools (e.g., metatranscriptomics) with traditional geochemical proxies to reconstruct ancient ecosystems. Key areas include microbial life in impact craters (e.g., Chicxulub), permafrost thaw dynamics, and the role of organic matter in the carbon cycle. His recent studies explore microbial communities in extreme environments like hydrothermal systems and granitoid rocks.
Awards and Grants: He has received the WHOI Ocean Life Institute Fellowship (2008–2011) and the NWO-ALW VENI Award (2004). His collaborations include high-impact groups such as Prof. Kliti Grice’s team at Curtin and international projects like IODP-ICDP drilling of the Chicxulub crater.
Lab and Teams: Coolen leads the WA Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, focusing on interdisciplinary research in geobiology and organic geochemistry. He co-advises PhD students and supervises postdoctoral researchers in projects involving ancient DNA analysis and microbial genomics.
