Deep Sea Biology

Peter Girguis is a professor of organismic and evolutionary biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on understanding how living things—animals and microbes in particular—thrive in Earth's most extreme environments. He is also interested in better understanding their role in ocean carbon and nitrogen cycling. Girguis' research lies at the intersection of biology and geochemistry, and he develops and uses a variety of tools (high-pressure systems to mimic natural environments, in situ mass spectrometers, and in situ microbial fual cells) to address these issues. He received his BSc from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he worked with David Chapman and William Hammer. He received his PhD from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he worked with James Childress on the physiological and biochemical adaptation of deep sea hydrothermal vent tubeworms and their microbial symbionts to the vent environment. Girguis did postdoctoral research at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute with Edward Delong on the growth and population dynamics of anaerobic methanotrophs.

Meaghan Sorce has a master's degree in ecosystem ecology. For the last ten years, she has worked at the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology, in the Ichthyology collection. She specializes in sharks and deep sea fishes.