Professor Craig Cary

Qualifications: MSc San Diego State, PhD University of California San Diego

Research Interests

Comparative physiology, biochemistry and ecology of microbial communities, with a focus on free-living syntrophic bacterial associations in extreme environments including hydrothermal vents and Antarctic soils. The use of high through-put genomic and molecular approaches to resolve biochemical adaptations to life in these extreme geochemical environments. Interfacing new bioinformatic capabilities with genomic technologies in the metagenome analysis of complex microbial communities. Thermal stability of eurythermal proteins.

About Craig

From the depths of the world’s most uninhabitable oceans, to the soils of Antarctica and New Zealand’s lakes, rivers and beaches, Professor Craig Cary is a researcher with a wide range of credits to his name. Despite the varied locations of his research, the focus has remained the same since his passion for science began as a tertiary student in Southern California.

Dr Cary considers himself a Microbial Ecologist and his interest lies in researching bacteria which live in extreme environments.  Such environments include deep sea thermal vents and the soils of Antarctica. He is interested in learning how bacteria in these environments establish themselves, maintain life, and evolve as communities. He is also concerned with how the bacteria are different or similar to bacteria living in other extreme environments. Read Prof Craig Cary's full profile here.

Students Supervised

PhD

• Archer, Stephen (in progress). Natural & simulated changes to biodiversity & metabolics between & within the microbial populations of Antarctic ponds.
• Bottos, Eric (in progress). Environmental factors influencing microbial community structure and function in Antarctic Dry Valley soils.
• Salvitti, Lauren (in progress). Origin & ecology of tetrodotoxin in Pleurobranchaea Macu
• Smith, Kirsty F. (submitted). Population genetics of marine invasive species.
• Jones, Tracey (in progress). Origins and partner choices of Antarctic lichens.

MSc

• Khor, Serena (in progress).
• Scarrow, Joshua (in progress). Microbial communities in the world's southernmost soils; the Beardmore Glacier region of the Central Transantarctic Mountains.
• Richter, Ingrid (2011). Influences of soil properties on archaeal diversity and distribution in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
• Archer, Stephen (2011). Planktonic communities in Bratina Island melt-water ponds.
• O'Rorke, Richard (2009). Correlations between a cynabacteria bloom's decline and environmental dynamics.
• Barbier, Beatrice (2009). Microbial biodiversity in the Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Inter-Valley comparison study
• Soo, Rochelle (2007). Microbial biodiversity of thermophilic communities in hot mineral soils of Tramway Ridge, Mt Erebus, Antarctica.

Expertise

Comparative physiology; biochemistry and ecology of microbial communities, with a focus on free-living syntrophic bacterial associations in extreme environments including hydrothermal vents and Antarctic soils; the use of high through-put genomic and molecular approaches to resolve biochemical adaptations to life in these extreme geochemical environments; interfacing new bioinformatic capabilities with genomic technologies in the metagenome analysis of complex microbial communities; thermal stability of eurythermal proteins.

Recent Publications

• Wood, S., Smith, K., Banks, J., Tremblay, L., Rhodes, L., Mountfort, D., Cary, S., Pochon, X. (2013) Molecular genetic tools for environmental monitoring of New Zealand’s aquatic habitats, past, present and the future
  Refereed Journal Articles - New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
• Wood, S., Casas, M., Taylor, D., McNabb, P., Salvitti, L., Ogilvie, S., Cary, S. (2012) Depuration of tetrodotoxin and changes in bacterial communities in Pleurobranchea maculata adults and egg masses maintained in captivity
  Refereed Journal Articles - Journal of Chemical Ecology
• Magalhaes, C., Stevens, M., Cary, S., Ball, B., Storey, B., Wall, D., Turk, R., Ruprecht, U. (2012) At limits of life: Multidisciplinary insights reveal environmental constraints on biotic diversity in continental Antarctica
  Refereed Journal Articles - PLoS ONE
• Lee, C., Herbold, C., Polson, S., Wommack, K., Williamson, S., McDonald, I., Cary, S. (2012) Groundtruthing next-gen sequencing for microbial ecology–biases and errors in community structure estimates from PCR amplicon pyrosequencing
  Refereed Journal Articles - PLos ONE

View All research publications by Craig Cary

Contact Details

• Calling +64 7 838 4466  then enter the extension
• Extensions starting with 4 or 5 can also be direct dialed:
  • For extensions starting with 4: dial +64 7 838 extension
  • For extensions starting with 5: dial +64 7 858 extension
• Emailing username@waikato.ac.nz
• Using the campus map to locate their room

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