Arizona State University expert directory

Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert is an associate professor in Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration who studies how microbial life survives in some of the most extreme and low-energy environments on Earth. 

Her research focuses on the boundary conditions of life — investigating how microbes persist, adapt, and remain active in places such as the deep subsurface, hydrothermal systems, Antarctic permafrost, drylands, and even Earth’s atmosphere.

Her lab combines microbiology, geochemistry, environmental sequencing, and field exploration with cutting-edge single-cell imaging techniques, including stable isotope probing coupled with nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIP–NanoSIMS). This approach allows her team to directly measure microbial activity in environments where life is difficult to detect. Her work also explores hidden and underappreciated microbial carbon metabolisms that may shape carbon cycling, habitability, and the search for life beyond Earth.