graduate student since winter 2025

Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences
maxpackebush@g.ucla.edu
Slichter 5863

I have a BS in both molecular biology and microbiology from the University of Wyoming. Under Dr. Thomas Boothby at UWyo, I published my work on intrinsically disordered proteins derived from an extremotolerant organism in Scientific Reports. After graduation, I did a year-long post-bac at NASA Ames Research Center where I was mentored by Dr. Mark Ditzler. Here, I aimed to identify the role of amyloid formation in early enzyme evolution. 

My current research interests focus on 1) collecting/identifying microbes at the fringes of physiological limits (i.e. hydrothermal vents, hypersaline environments, etc.), 2) deciphering microbial metabolisms and their environmental impact, and 3) investigating their relevance to astrobiology.