About
I center my research on understanding the interplay between the biosphere and the physical world. In recent years, I have focused my primary effort on exploring and understanding subseafloor life – an enigmatic global biome that remains largely untouched by human activity. I routinely lead ocean drilling and coring expeditions to advance understanding of this biome. Studies to date have significantly advanced understanding of the size, community compositions, and gross energy fluxes of the marine sedimentary biome. However, many fundamental aspects of this biome are not yet understood, including how subseafloor organisms are adapted for their environments, how they interact with each other, how they evolve, and how their extant communities were shaped by past oceanic conditions. My current research projects are focused on advancing understanding of these fundamental topics.
Awards
- Distinguished Lecturer, Ocean Leadership, 2011-2012
- Outstanding Contributions to Research Award, University of Rhode Island, 2001
- Distinguished Lecturer, Joint Oceanographic Institutions – U.S. Science Advisory Committee, 1999
Relevant Publications
- Sauvage, J. F., Flinders, A., Spivack, A. J., Pockalny, R., Dunlea, A. G., Anderson, C. H., ... & D’Hondt, S. (2021). The contribution of water radiolysis to marine sedimentary life. Nature communications, 12(1), 1-9. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21218-z
- Kallmeyer, J., Pockalny, R., Adhikari, R., Smith, D. C., & D’Hondt, S. (2012). Global distribution of subseafloor sedimentary biomass. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 109(40), 16213-16216. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1203849109.
- D'Hondt, S., Jørgensen, B. B., Miller, D. J., Batzke, A., Blake, R., Cragg, B. A., ... & Acosta, J. L. S. (2004). Distributions of microbial activities in deep subseafloor sediments. Science, 306(5705), 2216-2221. DOI: 10.1126/science.1101155
Support Us
CIFAR is a registered charitable organization supported by the governments of Canada, Alberta and Quebec, as well as foundations, individuals, corporations and Canadian and international partner organizations.