Research

Dr. Jenkins is interested in how the biochemical capabilities of microbial communities influences biogeochemical cycles and food webs in aquatic environments. She is also interested in how the biochemical potential of marine microbes relates to their ecological roles. She is addressing this question using a combination of molecular, genomic and biochemical approaches. One facet of her research focuses on how the dynamics of nutrient cycling–in particular nitrogenous compounds–influences the structure of microbial populations. Another area of her research uses directed genomic and biochemical approaches to address how changes in the environment induce microbial responses that profoundly impact the marine ecosystem, such as the uptake of iron and the production of toxins by diatoms.