Timothy E Mattes

Research Projects:

1. Quantifying the presence and activity of vinyl chloride-degrading microorganisms in the dilute groundwater plumes by using real-time PCR.
2. Molecular microbial ecology analysis of polychlorinated-biphenyl-contaminated soils and sediments from Indiana Harbor, IN.
3. Evolution of a microbial biodegradation pathway in response to vinyl chloride.
4. Development of proteomic techniques for detecting functional VC/ethene-oxidizing microbes in environmental samples
5. Analysis of microbial community structure in an RDX-contaminated aquifer undergoing biostimulation with acetate.
6. Development of alkene monooxygenase (AkMO) systems for biocatalytic applications.
7. Discovery of agricultural and industrial byproduct biocatalysts by bacterial genome mining.
8. Regulatory mechanisms controlling induction of alkene monooxygenase in Nocardioides sp. strain JS614.

Present Research Interests:

• Environmental biotechnology
• Oxidative biocatalysis
• Evolution of microbial biodegradation pathways
• Application of genomics and proteomics techniques in the study of environmentally relevant microbial communities

Keywords: Environmental Engineering; Environmental microbiology; Environmental Biotechnology.