2022 Pace Lecturer is Mitchell Sogin: 2022 News: News: News & Events: Department of Biology: Indiana University Bloomington

Pace lecturer to discuss advances that laid the foundation for contemporary microbiome research

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

As the 2022 Norman R. Pace Lecturer, renowned evolutionary biologist and microbiologist Mitchell Sogin will present "Setting the Pace of Discovery"—discussing the seminal research involved in bringing to light the worlds of single-cell organisms.

The Pace lecture series honors Indiana University alumnus Norman R. Pace. Pace, who is also a former Distinguished Professor of the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology at IU Bloomington, is one of the world's most influential biologists. Known for his pioneering research in biochemistry as well as in microbial ecology and evolution, Pace has been a leader in two very different fields: (1) he co-discovered catalytic RNAs, and (2) he developed the methods and philosophy of sequence-based studies of microbes in their natural environments—ushering in the age of metagenomics and microbiome research.

Sogin will present the 2022 Norman R. Pace Lecture on Tuesday, April 5, from 4 to 5:00 p.m. in Myers Hall 130 on the IU Bloomington campus and on Zoom.

Sogin—whose interests span across bacteria and archaea, to single-celled eukaryotes, to multicellular life forms—did his early work with Pace and the great microbiologist and biophysicist Carl Woese during the inception of molecular phylogeny, molecular microbial ecology, and the research that has led to the modern study of microbiomes. Over his prolific career, Sogin contributed groundbreaking research, both empirically and conceptually driving recognition of the high level of biological diversity represented by microorganisms and the intricate pathways underlying their evolution. He has authored many influential publications and his work has garnered over 60,000 citations. He was founder and long-term director of the Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratories. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Microbiology and has won numerous awards for his contributions to science.

Mitch Sogin examines a sponge from local waters. — Early molecular evolution studies in the Sogin laboratory focused on the Protista. The lab's 1989 move to the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole stimulated interest in basal animal lineages found in local waters—including sponges (e.g., *Microciona*) and choanoflagellates (e.g., *Diaphanus* and *Acanthocoepsis*). Inclusion of these taxa in molecular phylogenetic analyses not only furthered the understanding of animal origins, it also contributed to defining a common ancestry between basal animal lineages and fungi. Courtesy photo

Mitchell Sogin sitting at a laptop as he works on manuscripts. — Mitch Sogin working on manuscripts that address microbial diversity investigations in human microbiomes, cnidarian microbiomes under anthropogenic stress, and microbial communities in the deep terrestrial and marine subsurface. Courtesy photo

Mitch Sogin stands in the background, talking with a woman, as they watch members of his lab working on their research projects. — Molecular evolution studies in the Sogin laboratory identified Microsporidia as a potential basal protist lineage. Early efforts to sequence eukaryotic genomes in the late 1990s and early 2000s typically occurred only in large genome sequencing centers. By leveraging the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory’s tradition of offering hands-on immersion courses, the National Science Foundation funded our fledgling genome efforts through a course titled "Microsporidia and the next generation of genome scientists." Courtesy photo

Pace lecturer to discuss advances that laid the foundation for contemporary microbiome research

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