Sallie W. Chisholm

Sallie (Penny) W. Chisholm is an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), renowned for her pioneering research on Prochlorococcus, the most abundant marine phytoplankton species. Her work bridges microbial ecology, evolution, and global biogeochemical cycles, focusing on how these microbes influence ocean ecosystems.

Education: PhD in Biology (1974, SUNY Albany). Awards: National Medal of Science (2011), Crafoord Prize (2019), and multiple fellowships (AAAS, NAS). She co-authored children’s books on photosynthesis and co-leads the Chisholm Lab, which explores Prochlorococcus’s role in carbon cycling and climate.

Research emphasizes Prochlorococcus’s genetic diversity, metabolic interactions, and adaptation to environmental gradients. Key themes include cross-feeding among microbes, genomic plasticity, and symbiotic relationships with heterotrophs. Her findings highlight the interplay between microbial diversity and ecosystem function.

• Lab: Chisholm Lab (MIT)
• Key Collaborations: Global Ocean Sampling, GEOTRACES
• Public Engagement: TED Talk on Prochlorococcus’s role in Earth’s oxygen production.