Leavitt Lab
People
Principal Investigator
William Leavitt
Associate Professor
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Utah Faculty Profile
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Google Scholar (see for latest publications)
Staff
Annie Kandel
Lab Manager & Research Assistant, 2024 - present
B.S., Chemistry, Bates College
M.S., Chemical Oceanography, University of Alaska Fairbanks
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LinkedIn​​
Graduate Students
Jiawen Li
Ph.D. student 2021 - present
B.S., Chemistry, Peking University
M.S., Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles
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Jiawen is a Ph.D. candidate in Leavitt Lab at Dartmouth College. He received his B.S. in Chemistry at Peking University and his M.S. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His research focuses on using isotope signatures, especially tools like clumped isotopes, to resolve the provenance of methane and hydrogen gas. The goal is to combine lab incubation and modeling to understand the mechanism of methane and hydrogen clumped isotope fractionation in methanogenesis, methanotrophy and hydrogenotrophy. Aside from work, Jiawen likes hiking and skiing.
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Projects: Methane clumped isotopes, methanogenesis, methanotrophy, hydrogen clumped isotopes.
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Andrea Chen
M.S. student 2024 - present, co-advised by M. Palucis
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B.S., Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering/B.A., Earth & Planetary Sciences, the Johns Hopkins University
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Andrea is an M.S. student at Dartmouth College co-advised by the Leavitt Lab and the Palucis Lab. She received her B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and her B.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Johns Hopkins University. For her undergraduate senior thesis she studied water column redox control on the offset of paired kerogen-pyrite sulfur isotopes. Her research will focus on utilizing remote sensing techniques to enhance biosignature characterization across salinity gradients in the Atacama Desert (Chile), as a modern-day Mars analog. Outside of the office, Andrea is a cycle instructor and also enjoys hiking and road-tripping.
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Projects: biosignature characterization, Mars analogs
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Postdocs
Katelyn Weeks
Postdoctoral Researcher, 2025-present
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B.S., Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Ph.D., Microbial Ecology/Biochemistry, Arizona State University
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Kate is a postdoctoral research scientist, growing heterotrophic microorganisms in batch and chemostats and analyzing carbon isotopes to better understand their carbon use strategies. Kate completed her Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry at the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University under the supervision of Dr. Everett Shock and Dr. Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert. Her doctoral research integrated geochemistry and geomicrobiology to investigate how environmental nutrient availability and chemical energy supply shape microbial community composition and function, with a focus on ammonia-oxidizing archaea in Yellowstone hot springs. Outside the lab, you can find Kate hiking, crafting, or baking up some cakes.
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ResearchGate
Google Scholar
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Andrea Halling
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2024-present
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B.S., Physics, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Utah State University
Ph.D., Microbial Ecology, University of Colorado-Boulder
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Andrea completed dual B.S. degrees in Physics and Biology with an education emphasis from Utah State University. She taught high school physics for two years before pursuing a Ph.D. in Microbial Ecology/Geobiology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research focused on the origin and evolution of multicellular life using experimental evolution. As an SRI Fellow, she continues to study the interplay between life and the physical environment by using the Great Salt Lake to understand how planktonic life adapts to the changing ecosystem today. Outside of science, Andrea likes to bag peaks, ski, and cuddle her cat Penelope.
Projects: GSL Microalgal responses to environmental stress, GSL carbon chemistry/isotopes
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Laetitia (Leti) Guibourdenche
Visiting Scholar, 2024
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Laetitia is an isotope geochemist with an expertise in past and present marine biogeochemistry, focusing on sulfur and carbon cycle. She earned her PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), France after completing her MSc at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada. Since 2024, she is working as a post-doctoral researcher at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), investigating the potential of clumped isotopes of methane as biosignatures. Her research will combine high resolution isotopic measurements and theoretical modeling of clumped isotopologues at UCLA as well as implementing microbial culture experiments of methanogens at Dartmouth College.
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Projects: thermogenic vs microbialgenic methane; clumped isotopes; methanogenesis rates
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Undergraduate Students
Ady Witzel
Undergraduate Research Assistant, 2025-present
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Ady is a senior undergraduate studying chemistry at the University of Utah, with an emphasis in geology. Her interests include volcanism and isotope geochemistry. Currently, she is working on her honor's thesis compiling information about the use of volcanic gas geochemistry for eruption forecasting; specifically with helium and sulfur gasses. Aside from work, Ady enjoys making soup, visiting hot springs, and learning about disasters - especially those caused by geological phenomena.
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