David Pearce

Professor David Pearce

Professor

Department: Applied Sciences

The underlying theme of my research is to use microbiology (and in particular novel molecular techniques applied to microbial ecology, microbial biodiversity and activity, environmental genomics, biogeochemical cycling and model extremophiles) to understand Polar ecosystem function and the potential for shifts in biogeochemical activity that may result from environmental change. I have taken the lead in the development of new frontiers of research in metagenomics, chemosynthetic communities, sediment sequestration of carbon and subglacial lake environments and have initiated new interdisciplinary approaches on the aerial environment (with chemists), ice nucleation activity (with physicists) and in the biogeochemistry of ice (with glaciologists).

Further Information

Email David

Key Publications

Ancient environmental microbiomes and the cryosphere, Williams, A., Leung, V., Tang, J., Hidekazu, N., Suzuki, N., Clarke, A., Pearce, D., Lam, T. 1 Feb 2025, In: Trends in Microbiology
Crucial stepping stones in freshwater microbiology, Pearce, D., Lawrence, J., Avila Jimenez, M. Jan 2025, In: Nature Microbiology
Persistent and Emerging Threats to Arctic Biodiversity and Ways to Overcome Them: A Horizon Scan, Lemieux, T., Coles, J., Haley, A., LaFlamme, M., Steel, S., Scott, K., Provencher, J., Price, C., Bennett, J., Barrio, I., Findlay, H., Goodman, S., Matthews, B., Näslund, J., Pearce, D., Hollister, R., Mallory, M., Smith, P., Schaepman-Strub, G., Cooke, S. Jan 2025, In: Arctic Science
Preparation protocol for epifluorescence microscopy when working close to the detection limit, McCerery, R., Hall, L., Omanakuttan, J., Chai, H., Lawrence, J., Woodward, J., Pearce, D. 1 Mar 2025, In: Letters in Applied Microbiology
Announcing sustainable microbiology: How microbes make a sustainable world, Pearce, D. 24 Jan 2024, In: Sustainable Microbiology
Antarctic Blue Ice Areas are hydrologically active, nutrient rich and contain microbially diverse cryoconite holes, Nowak, A., Isaksson, E., Sunde, Ø., Elvevold, S., Sandven, H., Moholdt, G., Hudson, S., Urset, A., Edwards, A., Rassner, S., Pearce, D., Hamre, B., Hodson, A. 24 Jun 2024, In: Communications Earth and Environment
Environmental microbiome in the home and daycare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and potential risk of non-communicable disease in children, McKay, J., Crown, M., Bashton, M., Pearce, D., Entwistle, J., Sangal, V. Feb 2024, In: Environmental Microbiology Reports
Planetary Protection Knowledge Gap Closure Enabling Crewed Missions to Mars, Spry, J., Siegel, B., Bakermans, C., Beaty, D., Bell, M., Benardini, J., Bonaccorsi, R., Castro-Wallace, S., Coil, D., Coustenis, A., Doran, P., Fenton, L., Fidler, D., Glass, B., Hoffman, S., Karouia, F., Levine, J., Lupisella, M., Martin-Torres, J., Mogul, R., Olsson-Francis, K., Ortega-Ugalde, S., Patel, M., Pearce, D., Race, M., Regberg, A., Rettberg, P., Rummel, J., Sato, K., Schuerger, A., Sefton-Nash, E., Sharkey, M., Singh, N., Sinibaldi, S., Stabekis, P., Stoker, C., Venkateswaran, K., Zimmerman, R., Zorzano-Mier, M. Mar 2024, In: Astrobiology
Seasonal variation in the stomach microbiota of two sympatrically breeding Pygoscelis penguin species at Signy Island, South Orkney Island, Yew, W., Adlard, S., Dunn, M., Alias, S., Pearce, D., Samah, A., Convey, P. 26 Sep 2024, In: Microbiology
Terrestrial glacial geomorphology of surge-type and non-surge-type glaciers on Svalbard, McCerery, R., Davies, B., Lovell, H., Pearce, D., Calvo Ryan, R., Małecki, J., Woodward, J. 31 Dec 2024, In: Journal of Maps

PGR Supervision

Luke Cockerton Targeting functional genes to study bacterial diversity, community structure and stability in the Polar atmosphere Start Date: 01/03/2020 End Date: 04/03/2025
Carmel Abbott Colonisation strategies of bacteria in extreme environments and health implications in the human exploration of space. Start Date: 01/03/2019
Rosalia Calvo Ryan The search for life on icy moons Start Date: 01/03/2020
Isis Cohen Nicholson Restored or reinvented? Assessing the success of peatland restoration pilot projects in the Northumberland National Parks using environmental DNA (eDNA) Start Date: 01/10/2023
James Lawrence Antarctic Subglacial Lake Microbiology Start Date: 01/10/2023
Hannes Kade Deep Antarctic Subglacial Lake Exploration; Diversity, Geochemistry and Ecology Start Date: 01/10/2024