
Principal Investigator
armbrust at uw.edu
Phytoplankton are the main focus of research in our lab. These organisms are responsible for about 50% of the total amount of photosynthesis that occurs on our planet. They play a critical role in the global carbon cycle and ultimately in global climate. Because much of the organic carbon generated by phytoplankton is used by bacteria and archaea, we study phytoplankton interactions with other microbes.
Education
- Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biological Oceanography, 1990. Thesis advisor: Sallie W. Chisholm. Thesis title: The Life Cycle of the Centric Diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii: Control of Gametogenesis and Cell Size.
- B.A., Stanford University, Human Biology, 1980.
Positions Held
- Associate Dean of Research, College of the Environment, University of Washington, 2024- present.
- Karl M. Banse Endowed Professor, University of Washington, 2024-present.
- Richard H. Fleming Endowed Professor, University of Washington, 2022-2024.
- Professor School of Oceanography, University of Washington, 2006-present.
- Director, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, 2011-2018.
- Lowell A. and Frankie L. Wakefield Endowed Professor, University of Washington, 2008-2018.
- Associate Professor, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, 2002- 2006.
- Assistant Professor, School of Oceanography, University of Washington, 1996-2002.
- NSF Marine Biotechnology and Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, Washington University, 1990-1995.
- Graduate Research Assistant, Biological Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983-1990
- Research Technician, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 1981-1983
- Research Technician, California Department of Fish and Game, 1980-1981
Honors
- Karl M. Banse Endowed Professor, University of Washington, 2024-present.
- Elected Fellow, Amercan Geophysical Union, 2022.
- Richard H. Fleming Endowed Professor, 2022- 2024.
- Luigi Provasoli award for best publication of 2016 in Journal of Phycology, 2017.
- AGU Carson Lecture, 2016
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Marine Microbiology Investigator 2012-2018
- Elected Member, Washington State Academy of Science, 2012
- Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2012
- Elected Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology, 2011
- Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award, College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, 2009
- Botanical Society of America Darbaker Prize for meritorious work on algae, 2008
- Lowell A. and Frankie L. Wakefield Professor, 2008-2018
- Luigi Provasoli award for best publication of 2005 in Journal of Phycology, 2006
- Distinguished Research Award, College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, 2005
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Marine Microbiology Investigator 2004-2012
- Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award, College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, 2001
- Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award, College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences, 1999
Oceanographic Research Cruises
Recent, Chief Scientist
- Gradients cruise 5, Equatorial Pacific Ocean, R/V Thompson, January 22 - February 18, 2023.
- Gradients cruise 4, Equatorial Pacific Ocean, R/V Thompson, November 10-December 17, 2021.
- Gradients cruise 3, North Pacific Ocean, R/V Kilo Moana, April, 2019
- Gradients cruise 2, North Pacific Ocean, R/V Langseth, May/June, 2017.
- Gradients cruise 1, North Pacific Ocean, R/V KOK, April/May, 2016.
- Dimensions of Biodiversity cruise, North Pacific Ocean, R/V Kilo Moana, August/September, 2013.
- Molecular biogeochemical cruise, Washington Coast, R/V Thompson, May, 2012.
Participation in 16 additional cruises; Lab participation in 23 additional cruises
Publications
2025
2025
- The ISME Journal, Apr 2025
- Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 2025DOI: 10.1002/lol2.70019
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jun 2025
- PLOS ONE, Jun 2025
- Frontiers in Microbiology, Sep 2025
- Nature Microbiology, Sep 2025
- Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, Oct 2025DOI: 10.1002/lom3.70007
2024
2024
- Limnology and Oceanography, 2024DOI: 10.1002/lno.12555
- Journal of Phycology, 2024DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13447
- Limnology and Oceanography, 2024DOI: 10.1002/lno.12683
- Scientific Data, Oct 2024
- Latitudinal patterns in ocean C:N:P reflect phytoplankton acclimation and macromolecular compositionProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nov 2024
2023
2023
- Nitrogen Fixation in Mesoscale Eddies of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre: Patterns and MechanismsGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles, 2023DOI: 10.1029/2022GB007386
- Limnology and Oceanography, 2023DOI: 10.1002/lno.12373
2022
2022
- Proceedings National Academy of Science, 2022
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Feb 2022
- A Bayesian approach to modeling phytoplankton population dynamics from size distribution time seriesPLOS Computational Biology, Jan 2022
- Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022
- Nature Ecology & Evolution, Feb 2022
- Environmental Microbiology, 2022
- Nature Microbiology, Apr 2022
2021
2021
- Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2021
- Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Feb 2021
- Frontiers in Microbiology, 2021
- Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 2021DOI: 10.1002/lom3.10439
2020
2020
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nov 2020
- Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Dec 2020DOI: 10.3354/ame01950
- Limnology and Oceanography, 2020DOI: 10.1002/lno.11423
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2020DOI: 10.1029/2020GB006702
2019
2019
- Marine Ecology Progress Series, Jan 2019DOI: 10.3354/meps12810
- Science, Sep 2019
- Nature Microbiology, Oct 2019
2018
2018
- Environmental Microbiology Reports, 2018
- Nature Communications, Jun 2018
- Limnology and Oceanography, 2018DOI: 10.1002/lno.10665
- Nature Communications, Dec 2018
2017
2017
- Journal of Plankton Research, 2017
- Journal of Phycology, 2017DOI: 10.1111/jpy.12539
- Environmental Microbiology Reports, 2017
- International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 2017
- Nature, Jan 2017DOI: 10.1038/nature20803
- Nature Reviews Microbiology, Jan 2017
- The ISME Journal, Jan 2017
- Environmental Microbiology, 2017
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jan 2017
2016
2016
- Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, Jul 2016
- Bioinformatics, Feb 2016
-
2015
2015
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Sep 2015
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jan 2015
- Nature Climate Change, Aug 2015DOI: 10.1038/nclimate2683
- PLOS ONE, Jun 2015
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Jun 2015
- The Plant Journal, 2015DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12734
-
2014
2014
- Marine Ecology Progress Series, Jul 2014DOI: 10.3354/meps10820
- Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2014DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7040
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Aug 2014
-
- FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Aug 2014
- Marine Chemistry, May 2014
- Frontiers in Marine Science, 2014
2013
2013
- The ISME Journal, Oct 2013
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Apr 2013
- Molecular Biology and Evolution, Feb 2013
- Real-time collaborative analysis with (almost) pure SQL: a case study in biogeochemical oceanographyProceedings of the 25th International Conference on Scientific and Statistical Database Management, Jul 2013
- Limnology and Oceanography, 2013
-
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2013DOI: 10.1002/gbc.20058
2012
2012
- Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR, Sep 2012
- Nature, Dec 2012DOI: 10.1038/nature11681
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Feb 2012
- Environmental Microbiology, 2012
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2011
2011
- Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 2011
2010
2010
- Chlorophyll a Fluorescence in Aquatic Sciences: Methods and Applications, 2010
- BMC Evolutionary Biology, Jan 2010
- BMC Bioinformatics, Oct 2010
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Sep 2010
2009
2009
- Future Generation Computer Systems, Feb 2009
- Eukaryotic Cell, Jul 2009DOI: 10.1128/EC.00079-09
- Nature, Jan 2009DOI: 10.1038/nature07539
- BioScience, Sep 2009
-
- Nucleic Acids Research, Jan 2009DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn905
2008
2008
- Annual Review of Genetics, 2008
- An Introduction to the World’s Oceans2008
-
- Marine Biology, Dec 2008
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Feb 2008
2007
2007
- Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Apr 2007
- Oceanography, 2007
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Apr 2007DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01965-06
2006
2006
- An Introduction to the World’s Oceans2006
- Genomic Insights into Diatom Evolution and MetabolismGenome Evolution in Eukaryotic Microbes, 2006
- Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Aug 2006
- Environmental Microbiology, 2006
- Limnology and Oceanography, 2006
2005
2005
- Colloquium on diatom-copepod interactionsMarine Ecology Progress Series, 2005
2004
2004
2002
2002
- Genetics, Jan 2002
2001
2001
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Aug 2001
2000
2000
- Limnology and Oceanography, 2000
1999
1999
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Jul 1999
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Jul 1999
1995
1995
- Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology, 1995
- Molecular Biology of the Cell, Dec 1995
1993
1993
1992
1992
- Journal of Phycology, 1992
1990
1990
- Limnology and Oceanography, 1990
- Journal of Phycology, 1990
1989
1989
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Feb 1989
1988
1988
- Deep Sea Research Part A. Oceanographic Research Papers, Mar 1988
1986
1986
- The individual cell in phytoplankton ecology: cell cycles and flow cytometryBull. Fish. Aq. Sci, 1986