2026 Internship Opportunities

Hydrogen (H₂) is a climate-active trace gas, with its global warming potential more than an order larger than carbon dioxide. Despite the expected increase in hydrogen emissions from a global hydrogen economy, its impact on climate change remains uncertain. This uncertainty stems from a limited understanding of soil microbial H₂ consumption, which is the largest sink of atmospheric H₂ and responsible for over 70% of its removal. How the soil microbial H₂ consumption responds to soil moisture and temperature, which are key climate sensitive factors controlling microbial activity, are under investigation. Physiological factors, such as responses to nutrient availability and the adaptability of different hydrogen oxidizing (consuming) microbes, are even less understood. Understanding the resilience of the soil microbial H₂ sink under projected environmental changes is essential for making accurate predictions about the climate feedback associated with increasing anthropogenic H₂ flux changes. The overarching goal of this project is to investigate the physiological aspects of the microbial H₂ through laboratory experiments.

The student will assist in monitoring H₂ uptake in laboratory settings and in DNA analysis. The student will take part in setting up soil incubations with soils with different organic carbon availability, and will help extract and analyze the DNA of high affinity hydrogen oxidizing bacteria that are responsible for microbial H₂ uptake. Gas samples from soil incubation experiments will be analyzed in the lab using gas chromatography with a reducing compound photometer detector to determine H₂ concentrations. Soil samples from various field sites will be analyzed for various geochemical properties and microbial community composition.

The student will learn to analyze gas and soil samples using state-of-the-art analytical methods and gain hands-on experience in fieldwork focused on soil gas flux analysis. Additionally, they will acquire skills in isolating DNA/RNA from soil samples and applying various molecular biology techniques, such as PCR and qPCR, as part of the project.

Natural sciences. Basic knowledge of analytical chemistry and molecular biology will be helpful. Aptitude for hands-on work in lab and field settings is highly desired.

Basic laboratory experience would be a plus. The student will be trained on all technical components of the project.

• Students must be able to travel to field sites in New Jersey for potential soil sampling.
• Students will meet with internship mentors in the spring, prior to the internship start date. Reading materials may also be provided.
• Students are responsible for securing accommodations for the duration of their internship. On-campus summer housing is typically available the first week of June until the first week of August (details to become available in Spring 2026). If the internship falls outside of on-campus housing availability, students will need to secure alternate housing.