Mausmi Mehta

Mausmi Mehta was introduced to the field of oceanography during a summer internship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution while in college. She was investigating the causes of brown tide blooms off the coast of Long Island, and Mausmi went back the following summer to continue the work. Looking to combine her training in molecular biology with oceanography, she decided to apply to graduate school in biological oceanography and joined John Baross’ lab at the University of Washington in 1999 where she was introduced to the world of deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

Her research at hydrothermal vents focuses on the nitrogen cycle, specifically the biological fixation of dinitrogen gas by microorganisms. By characterizing the presence and diversity of one of the genes involved in nitrogen fixation, nifH, Mausmi was able to detect potential nitrogen-fixers in deep sea and hydrothermal vent environments of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. She is currently applying the same method to samples obtained from the Lost City Hydrothermal Field to determine if nitrogen-fixing microorganisms play a role in the nitrogen cycle at this newly discovered variety of hydrothermal vents.