Martin Polz
Associate Professor
MIT
15 Vassar Street, Bldg 48-417
Cambridge, MA 02139
Email: mpolz@mit.edu


Education:

Harvard University, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Ph. D., 1997

Harvard University, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology A. M. 1995

University of Vienna, Zoology Mag. rer. nat. 1991

Thesis Work:

Ph. D. thesis, Harvard University: "The Ecology of Epibiotic Associations in the Marine Environment" Advisor: Prof. Colleen Cavanaugh

Mag. rer. nat. thesis, University of Vienna: "Characterization of Ectosymbiotic Bacteria on Marine, Free-Living Nematodes (Stilbonematinae)" Advisor: Prof. Jorg Ott

Professional:

Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology July 2004-present

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology January 1998-June 2004

Consultant, Ecosystems Center, Marine Biological Laboratory July-December 1997 Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University May-June 1997

Graduate Research Assistant, Harvard University September 1991-May 1997

Research Interests:

Molecular Microbial Ecology with emphasis on structure function relationships in microbial communities.

Environmental genomics with emphasis on population structure and differentiation.

Microbially mediated transformations of energy and matter, especially metal cycling by bacteria. Ecology of symbionts and pathogens.

Awards and Fellowships:

Gilbert Winslow Career Development Chair, 2003-2004

Doherty Professorship in Ocean Utilization, 2000-2002

Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies: Visiting Assistant Professor, Univ. British Columbia, Vancouver; Outstanding Young Investigator in Residence Program, Aug. 2000

Gilbert Winslow Career Development Chair, 1999-2001

ASM Sustaining Member Student Travel Grant, 1997

Anna Vaughn Foundation Fellowship, 1994-96

OEB Fellowship for field research, 1993

BKU Fellowship, Summer 1990

Teaching at MIT

1.107 Environmental Chemistry and Biology Laboratory

1.080 Environmental Chemistry and Biology

1.89 Environmental Microbiology

1.82 Problems in Aquatic Biology and Chemistry