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Hire Dr. Steffen B.

United States

USD 75 /hr

Astrobiology & Planetary Science | Environmental Microbiology, Biogeochemistry, Carbon Capture | Scientific Writing

Profile Summary

I am a life and planetary scientist who helps researchers, startups, and companies analyze environmental and microbial data, design experiments, and prepare high-quality scientific publications. My research projects have taken me to mines in the Alps, wetlands in the Amazon basin, hypersaline lakes in Western Australia, hot springs in the Nevada desert, kelp forests in California, and the open ocean. Across these diverse environments, I have focused on greenhouse gas cycling driven by mineral reactions and microbial communities. I am also interested in the biogeochemistry of trace metals. I enjoy extending scientific findings into a broader context, such as their implications for other planets or for Earth’s deep-time history. I am familiar with a wide range of techniques, including molecular biological methods (DNA/RNA extraction and sequencing), metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, bioinformatics and amplicon sequence analysis, protein structural modeling, fluorescence microscopy, aerobic and anaerobic microbial culturing, microelectrode measurements, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), ion chromatography, gas chromatography, chemiluminescence-based analysis, spectrometric techniques, in-situ gas flux analysis, µ-Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS), and stable isotope analysis. My studies have been published in high-impact scientific journals such as Nature Communications, Nature Geoscience, Nature Ecology & Evolution, and ISME. I value the craft of writing and enjoy communicating scientific research through compelling narratives. I regularly advise on and prepare scientific manuscripts, grant proposals, editing, peer review, and data interpretation. As a former NASA Postdoctoral Fellow, I have also participated in grant review panels and regularly review manuscripts for scientific journals. I welcome consulting projects involving environmental microbiology, metagenomics, biogeochemistry, greenhouse gas cycling & carbon capture, scientific writing, and research proposal development.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ☆ Trace Elements
• ☆ Marine Chemistry
• ☆ Microbiology
• ☆ Microbiome Research
• ☆ Microbiological Assays
• ☆ Molecular Biology
• ☆ Biomarkers
• ☆ Genetics
• ☆ Molecular Evolution
• ☆ PCR
• ☆ Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)
• ☆ DNA Sequencing
• ☆ Genome Sequencing
• ☆ RNA Sequencing
• ☆ Molecular Ecology
• ☆ Marine Biology
• ☆ Environmental Science
• ☆ Environmental Biotechnology
• ☆ Environmental Chemistry
• ☆ Ecology
• ☆ Marine Ecology
• ☆ Microbial Ecology
• ☆ Hypothesis
• ☆ Peer Review
• ☆ Research Methodology
• ☆ Meta-Research
• ☆ Feasibility Studies
• ☆ Fact Checking
• ☆ Literature Search
• ☆ Technical & Scientific Writing
• ☆ Journal Selection
• ☆ Manuscript & Journal Article Writing
• ☆ Instructional Materials
• ☆ Release Notes
• ☆ Experimental Protocols
• ☆ Science Communication
• ☆ Literature Review
• ☆ Systematic Literature Review
• ☆ Scientific Proofreading & Editing
• ☆ Language Translation
• ☆ Grant Writing

Services

• Writing

Writing Technical Writing, General Proofreading & Editing, Translation

Work Experience

Scientific Research Associate

University of Southern California

September 2025 - Present

Staff Scientist

Stanford University

April 2020 - August 2025

Graduate Research Assistant / Research Assistant

Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona)

July 2013 - March 2020

Education

PhD in Life and Environmental Sciences

Arizona State University

July 2013 - March 2020

Bachelor of Science

Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen - Germany

October 2009 - April 2013

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

PREPRINT

Steffen Buessecker, Lea A. Adepoju, Jordan M. McKaig, Rebecca S. R. Salcedo, Aaron Martinez, Emilie J. Skoog, Claire E. Elbon, Emily R. Paris, Miguel Desmarais, Cathryn D. Sephus, et al. (2026). Anaerobic methane oxidation by ANME-2a at two molar chloride in Orca Basin .

Steffen Buessecker, Aya S. Klos, Melanie E. Quan, Anna H. Finch, Morgan S. Sobol, Guy N. Evans, Ariel D. Anbar, Betul Kacar, Anne E. Dekas (2025). Microbial N2O reduction in sulfidic waters: Implications for Proterozoic oceans .

Steffen Buessecker, Brian Hedlund, Nancy Nou, Jonathan Covington, Dengxun Lai, Xavier Mayali, Cale Seymour, Juliet Johnston, Jian-Yu Jiao, Damon Mosier, et al. (2024). Genome-guided isolation of Fervidibacter sacchari, an aerobic, hyperthermophilic polysaccharide-degrading specialist .

Mcr-dependent methanogenesis inArchaeoglobaceaeenriched from a terrestrial hot spring <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="0;URL=/servlet/useragent"> </head> .

Steffen Buessecker, Analissa F. Sarno, Mark C. Reynolds, Ramani Chavan, Jin Park, Marc Font&#225;nez Ortiz, Ana G. P&#233;rez-Castillo, Grober Panduro Pisco, Jos&#233; David Urquiza-Mu&#241;oz, Leonardo P. Reis, et al. (2022). Coupled abiotic-biotic cycling of nitrous oxide in tropical peatlands .

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Steffen Buessecker, Nancy O. Nou, Jonathan K. Covington, Dengxun Lai, Xavier Mayali, Cale O. Seymour, Juliet Johnston, Jian-Yu Jiao, Damon Mosier, Alise R. Muok, et al. (2025). Author Correction: Genome-guided isolation of the hyperthermophilic aerobe Fervidibacter sacchari reveals conserved polysaccharide metabolism in the Armatimonadota . Nature Communications.

Steffen Buessecker, Nancy O. Nou, Jonathan K. Covington, Dengxun Lai, Xavier Mayali, Cale O. Seymour, Juliet Johnston, Jian-Yu Jiao, Damon Mosier, Alise R. Muok, et al. (2024). Genome-guided isolation of the hyperthermophilic aerobe Fervidibacter sacchari reveals conserved polysaccharide metabolism in the Armatimonadota . Nature Communications.

Steffen Buessecker, Verena Nikeleit, Adrian Mellage, Giorgio Bianchini, Lea Sauter, Stefanie Gotterbarm, Manuel Schad, Kurt Konhauser, Aubrey L. Zerkle, Patricia S&#225;nchez-Baracaldo, et al. (2024). Inhibition of phototrophic iron oxidation by nitric oxide in ferruginous environments . Nature Geoscience.

Biosignature Molecules Accumulate and Persist in Evaporitic Brines: Implications for Planetary Exploration. @article{pozarycki_seaton_c vincent_novak sanders_nuñez_castillo_ingall_klempay_pontefract_fisher_et al._2024, title={Biosignature Molecules Accumulate and Persist in Evaporitic Brines: Implications for Planetary Exploration.}, volume={24}, number={8}, journal={Astrobiology}, author={Pozarycki, Chad and Seaton, Kenneth M. and C Vincent, Emily and Novak Sanders, Carlie and Nuñez, Nickie and Castillo, Mariah and Ingall, Ellery and Klempay, Benjamin and Pontefract, Alexandra and Fisher, Luke A. and et al.}, year={2024}, pages={795–812}} . Astrobiology.

Steffen Buessecker, Grayson L Chadwick, Melanie E Quan, Brian P Hedlund, Jeremy A Dodsworth, Anne E Dekas (2023). Mcr-dependent methanogenesis in Archaeoglobaceae enriched from a terrestrial hot spring . The ISME Journal.

Steffen Buessecker, Grayson L Chadwick, Melanie E Quan, Brian P Hedlund, Jeremy A Dodsworth, Anne E Dekas(2023). Mcr-dependent methanogenesis in Archaeoglobaceae enriched from a terrestrial hot spring . The ISME journal.

Buessecker, Steffen, Imanaka, Hiroshi, Ely, Tucker, Hu, Renyu, Romaniello, Stephen J., Cadillo-Quiroz, Hinsby(2022). Mineral-catalysed formation of marine NO and N2O on the anoxic early Earth . NATURE GEOSCIENCE. 15. (12). p. 1056-+. NATURE PORTFOLIO

Steffen Buessecker, Hiroshi Imanaka, Tucker Ely, Renyu Hu, Stephen J. Romaniello, Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz (2022). Mineral-catalysed formation of marine NO and N2O on the anoxic early Earth . Nature Geoscience.

Coupled abiotic-biotic cycling of nitrous oxide in tropical peatlands <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="0;URL=/servlet/useragent"> </head> . Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Buessecker, Steffen, Sarno, Analissa F., Reynolds, Mark C., Chavan, Ramani, Park, Jin, Fontanez Ortiz, Marc, Perez-Castillo, Ana G., Panduro Pisco, Grober, Urquiza-Munoz, Jose David, Reis, Leonardo P., et al.(2022). Coupled abiotic-biotic cycling of nitrous oxide in tropical peatlands . Nature ecology & evolution.

Buessecker, Steffen, Palmer, Marike, Lai, Dengxun, Dimapilis, Joshua, Mayali, Xavier, Mosier, Damon, Jiao, Jian-Yu, Colman, Daniel R., Keller, Lisa M., St John, Emily, et al.(2022). An essential role for tungsten in the ecology and evolution of a previously uncultivated lineage of anaerobic, thermophilic Archaea . Nature communications. 13. (1). p. 3773.

An essential role for tungsten in the ecology and evolution of a previously uncultivated lineage of anaerobic, thermophilic Archaea <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="0;URL=/servlet/useragent"> </head> . Nature Communications.

OTHER

Steffen Buessecker, Hiroshi Imanaka, Tucker Ely, Renyu Hu, Stephen Romaniello, Hinsby Cadillo-Quiroz(2020). Marine mineral-catalyzed NO and N2O formation on the anoxic early Earth . California Digital Library ({CDL})