McKay, Luke
Assistant Research Professor, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
Office: 313 Barnard Hall
Specialty: Microbial ecology of geochemically diverse environments
E-mail: luke.mckay@montana.edu
Luke joined MSU in 2015 as a NASA postdoctoral fellow through the NASA Astrobiology
Institute, studying primitive microbial processes in Yellowstone National Park. His
research focuses onmetagenomics, metatranscriptomics, stable isotope probing enrichments, and cultivation
techniques to examine the distribution, functional capacity, and substrate utilization
of novel archaea and bacteria in geothermal ecosystems.Luke is originally from Alabama where he completed a bachelors degree in molecular
biology from University of Alabama-Birmingham. He received his master’s and doctorate
degrees from the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill where he studied microbial ecology at hydrothermal seeps in Guaymas
Basin, Gulf of California.
In 2018, Luke was appointed to an assistant research professor position in MSU's Department
of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences. When not pondering the probability of
extraterrestrial life,Luke enjoys music, dancing, and snowboarding.
Publications searchable by author via CBE Publications Database
Related Links
“Methane and sulfur metabolisms collide in the Korarchaeota” Blog post in Nature Microbiology Community
“MSU becomes member of Yellowstone Volcano Observatory” MSU News 07/21/2020
