N. Cecilia Martinez-Gomez

Research Expertise and Interest

microbial physiology, one-carbon metabolism, microbial molecular biology, bacteria, enzymes, enzyme activity, enzymology, enzyme kinetics, protein biochemistry, protein characterization

Research Description

N. Cecilia Martinez-Gomez does research in Microbial (bacterial) Metabolism, particularly one-carbon metabolism. She merges her research with Structural Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering, and Biotechnology. Her studies unravel the role of lanthanides in biology, focusing on lanthanide biochemistry, lanthanide-dependent bacterial metabolism, and microbe-plant interactions. Her research also aims to develop bacterial platforms to further the agricultural and energy industries and to improve our environment particularly focusing on bioleaching, biometallurgy, bioremediation, and electronic waste recycling.

In the News

Engineering a Hungry Bacterium to Protect Public Health

Microbiologist Cecilia Martinez-Gomez studies a widespread specie of bacteria that thrives on rare earth elements, also known as rare earth metals or lanthanides. She has engineered one strain of the bacteria to efficiently accumulate a rare earth element known as neodymium from electronics waste and recycle it back to the industry for making batteries, speakers, even jet turbines.
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