Ty James Samo profile

Ty James Samo

Staff Scientist

PLS / Nacsd / Nuclear & Chemical Science Division

Email

Biography

Research Interests

Dr. Samo is interested in applying principles of microbial ecology toward addressing questions and challenges in renewable energy and environmental geochemistry. His current work aims to understand the influence of algal-bacterial and bacterial–bacterial interactions on elemental cycling and how this knowledge can be applied toward bioenergy applications, ecosystem functioning, and critical minerals extraction. He combines experimental culturing and manipulation of microbial communities with measurements of single-cell activity and metabolite transfer between and among microbes.

Education

  • Ph.D., Marine Biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 2012
  • MSc., Marine Biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 2010
  • B.S., Cell Biology & Biochemistry, UC San Diego, 2004

Publications

Awards

  • LLNL Physical and Life Sciences Directorate Service Award 2025

  • LLNL Physical and Life Sciences Directorate Publication Award 2024

  • LLNL Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division Spot Award 2019

  • LLNL Global Security Directorate Silver Award 2018