Bridging Earth's Cycles Pablo Paquis, PhD.

Core Methodology & Environments

Our research characterizes the hydrogeochemistry and geomicrobiological relationships within high-altitude Chilean Andean hot springs, such as Pampa Lirima and Salar de Huasco. These extreme terrestrial ecosystems operate under severe environmental constraints, serving as critical natural laboratories to understand climate impacts and as unique windows into early Earth conditions.

We apply a highly interdisciplinary framework that explicitly integrates thermodynamic modeling and trace element geochemistry with bioinformatics and microbial community data. This methodology allows us to quantify microbial metabolic adaptation, nitrogen transformations, and energetic convergence in environments where life is adapted to living on the edge.

Teach@Tübingen: Advancing Environmental Geology

In October 2026, I will join the University of Tübingen as a Teach@Tübingen Fellow. Under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Andreas Kappler within the Geomicrobiology group, my research will investigate thermodynamic constraints and microbial community assembly in anoxic iron and sulfur cycling systems.

This fellowship also involves designing and teaching courses that bridge aqueous geochemistry, thermodynamic theory, and molecular microbiology.

Quantifiable Contributions

3+

Peer-Reviewed Papers

10+

International Field Campaigns

50+

Citations

Detailed project briefs, publication indices, and CV are available for comprehensive review.