Evan Lau

Assistant Professor of Biology

Degrees:

• BS, Microbiology, University of Illinois, 1993
• MS, Biology, University of Illinois, 1994
• PhD, Botany, University of Wisconsin, 2000

Courses:

• Bio 124 – Biological Principles
• Bio 200 – Botany
• Bio 325 – General Microbiology Lab
• Bio 401 – Genetics
• Bio 407 – Human Genetics
• Bio 428 – Evolutionary Biology

Current Research Projects:

I investigate the ecology and phylogeny of microbes and relate their presence and diversity to the environmental processes they accomplish. The group of unique microbes I currently study consume methane gas (a greenhouse gas) in forest soils and peat bogs in West Virginia and play an important role in reducing methane emissions into the atmosphere. I will use molecular techniques and systematics/phylogenetic approaches to detect and sequence the genes unique to these microbes and describe their diversity. I am also planning on using a variety of technologies to explore microbial diversity in soils above oil and gas reservoirs, which often leak low molecular weight hydrocarbons, including methane.

Publications:

Lau, E., M.C. Fisher, P.A. Steudler, and C.M. Cavanaugh. 2012. Themethanol dehydrogenase gene, mxaF, as a functional and phylogeneticmarker for methanotrophic bacteria in natural environments. In prep.

Roeselers, G., I.L.G. Newton, T. Woyke, T.A. Auchtung, G.F. Dilly,R.J. Dutton, M.C. Fisher, K.M. Fontanez, E. Lau, F.J. Stewart, P.M.Richardson, K.W. Barry, E. Saunders, J.C. Detter, D. Wu, J.A. Eisen,C.M. Cavanaugh. 2010. The complete genome sequence of Candidatus Ruthia magnifica. Standards in Genomic Sciences 3:163-173. PDF

I.L.G. Newton, T. Woyke, T.A. Auchtung, G.F. Dilly, R.J. Dutton, M.C.Fisher, K. Fontanez, E. Lau, F.J. Stewart, P.M. Richardson, K.W.Barry, J.C. Detter, S. Sullivan, J. A. Eisen, C.M. Cavanaugh. 2007. The Calyptogena magnifica symbiont genome: an obligate, maternally transmitted symbiont with extensive metabolic capabilities. Science
315: 998-1000. PDF

Lau, E., A. Ahmad, P.A. Steudler, and C.M. Cavanaugh. 2007. Molecular characterization of methanotrophic communities in forest soils that consume atmospheric methane. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 60 (3):490-500. PDF

Lau, E., C.Z. Nash, D.R. Vogler, and K.C. Cullings. 2005. Molecular diversity of cyanobacteria inhabiting coniform structures and surrounding mat in a Yellowstone hot spring. Astrobiology 5(1): 83-92. PDF

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