Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences,
California Institute of Technology
Mail Code 100-23
Pasadena, CA 91125

TEL: (626) 395-1786
Lab: (626) 395-6018
E-mail: vorphan@gps.caltech.edu

1994   B. A., Aquatic Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA

2001   Ph.D., Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara.

Dissertation: Linking microbes to geochemical processes: Characterization of microbial assemblages involved in sulfur and methane cycling in high temperature petroleum reservoirs and marine methane seeps.

2004-present  Assistant Professor of Geobiology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology

2002-2004   National Research Council Associate, NASA Ames Research Center

1999-2002   Graduate Research Assistant, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

1995-1998  Graduate Research Assistant, University of California, Santa Barbara

1994-1995  Research Technician—SFSU Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies

Leopoldina Symposium, Bremen, Germany, (2006)

Southern California Microbiology Society, (2006)

Scripps Institute of Oceanography, San Diego, CA Earth Science Dept Seminar (2005)

ISSM-ISEB Meeting, Jackson Hole, WY. (2005).

Gordon Research Conference of Organic Geochemistry, Holderness, N.H. (August, 2004)

US-UK Frontiers of Science, Life in Extreme Environments Session. Cambridge, England (June, 2004)

AAAS Annual meeting, Seattle, WA (February, 2004)

Schlumberger Research Labs, CT (November, 2003)

GSA Annual Meeting Seattle, WA (November, 2003)

NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC (May, 2003)

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD. Earth and Planetary Science Dept. (May, 2003)

Goldschmidt, Davos, Switzerland (August, 2002)

AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA (December, 2001)

Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA. Geological and Environmental Science seminar (October, 2001)

UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA. J. Banfield group seminar (2002)

California Institute of Technology, Geological and Planetary Science seminar (June, 2001)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Earth and Planetary Science seminar (May, 2001)

Goldschmidt, Hot Springs, VA (May, 2001)

USGS, Menlo Park (2001)

National Research Council fellowship- 2001. NASA Ames Research Center.

National Research Council Fellowship- 2001. USGS Menlo Park (declined).

Deep-Sea Hydrothermal vent best paper-2001. Honorable mention.

Symposium lecturer “Evolution of Metabolism” Agouron Geobiology Course, 2003

Manuscript Reviewer for PNAS, Chem. Geol, Geochem. Cosmochem Acta, Geobiology, AGU, Environmental Microbiology.

Grant Reviewer for ODP and NSF, 2002-2005

Member of ASM, AGU, AAAS

Member of NASA Astrobiology Institute for NASA Ames and Penn State teams.

Tour guide and spokesperson for Ames astrobiology program during the CA Academy of Sciences docent council visit, NASA Ames, 2003

Interview: ESI Special Topics, www.esi-topics.com/nhp/nhp-november, 2002

Teaching Assistant for the Agouron Institute Geobiology Summer Course, 2002.

Guest lecturer on Extremophiles for 5th grade Bayview Elementary School, 2001

Judge for the Santa Cruz County Science Fair (3rd-6th grade), 2001

Christopher House, Penn State University

Will Berelson, USC

Dave Des Marais, Linda Jahnke, and Tori Hoehler, Brad Bebout, Lee Bebout, Geeta Kadambi, Kelly Decker NASA Ames Research Center

John Grotzinger, Alex Sessions and Shana Goffredi, California Institute of Technology

Antje Boetius, Tina Trude, Max Planck Institute, Bremen

David Valentine, University of California Santa Barbara

Samantha Joye, University of Georgia, GA

Chris Scholin, Christina Preston. Bob Vrijenhoek, Bill Ussler, MBARI

Graduate Advisor: Edward F. DeLong, MBARI, current affiliation MIT, MA

Post-graduate Advisor: David J. Des Marais, NASA Ames Research Center

R/V Atlantis, 2005. Microbiologist for Pacific-Antarctic Ridge (PAR-5) cruise.  Microbial weathering of massive sulfides and basalts from new hydrothermal vent system

R/V Melville, 2005. Microbiologist for Fiji-Lau back-arc basin cruise.  Microbial ecology studies and isotopic variation of microbial communities associated with hydrothermally-altered sediments.

R/V Western Flyer, 2004. Microbiologist for long term ecological study of a deep-sea whalefall, Monterey Canyon, CA (B. Vjrenhoek. Chief scientist) Sediment push core collection using ROV Tiburon, sample processing for microbiological and geochemical analyses.

 R/V Pt. Lobos, 1999-2001. Chief Scientist, benthic microbiology program.  Sediment core and chemosynthetic megafauna collection surrounding cold seeps in Eel River Basin, CA and Monterey Canyon, CA using ROV Ventana.

R/V Western Flyer, August 2000.  Microbiologist on hydrothermal vent cruise, Juan de Fuca, NESCA, SESCA.

R/V Cape Hatteras, 2000.  Microbiologist on Blake Ridge piston coring cruise. Blake Ridge, NC.

R/V Pt. Sur, 1994.  Biological Oceanographic Research Assistant, Euphausiid impact on marine snow.  Zooplankton sorting (Dr. A. Alldredge, chief scientist).

R/V New Horizon, 1993.  Biological Oceanographic Research Assistant, marine snow studies, net tows, zooplankton sorting, chlorophyll analyses (Dr. A. Alldredge, chief scientist).

Crystal Gammon, (Graduate student, start date 9/2005)

Kendra Turk, Caltech (Graduate student, Masters 3/2006)

Husen Zhang, Caltech (postdoctoral researcher, 1/05- present)

Regina Wilpiszeski, Caltech (undergraduate, participant in 2005 summer minority undergraduate research program (MURF Program) 11/04-present)

Ben Harrison (graduate student, proposition advisor)

Tanja Bosak, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech (Graduated Dec. 2004)

Enoma Omergie, Max Planck Institute of Marine Microbiology, Bremen

Tongquin Jiao, Caltech

Cody Nash, Caltech