Jonathan O. (Josh) Sharp, Assistant Professor

Education

Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2006
M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley, 2001
B.A. in Geosciences, Princeton University, 1997

Appointments

2009: Assistant Professor, Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
2008 – present: Research Assistant Professor, Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
2006 – present: Scientific Collaborator, Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique Fédéral, Lausanne, Switzerland
1999: Research Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
1997-1999: Petroleum Field Engineer, Schlumberger, Bakersfield, CA

Research Interests

Environmental microbiology and biogeochemistry
Biotechnological applications towards groundwater remediation and water reuse
Bacterial cytochrome-mediated degradation of emerging organic contaminants with a focus on micropollutants such as nitrosamines
Bioattenuation of metals and radionuclides

Biosynopsis

I received my bachelor’s in Geosciences from Princeton and my M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from U.C. Berkeley. Prior to earning graduate degrees, I worked as a field engineer for Schlumberger and then as a research hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. I conducted postdoctoral studies in Switzerland at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne as part of a multi-institutional research project sponsored by the US Department of Energy.

As an environmental engineer trained in combining molecular and microbiological tools with geochemistry, my research focuses on the applications and implications of biological processes that relate to water quality and reuse. I have applied my cross-disciplinary perspective towards investigating the bacterial degradation of emerging drinking water organics and towards understanding bacterially-mediated redox transformations of both metals and radionuclides. I am interested in bioremediation problems in natural waters and sediments and in drinking and wastewater.

I enjoy teaching courses in environmental sciences that bridge traditional disciplines and empower creative thinking to understand the nature and fate of contaminants and to engineer solutions. In particular, I am excited about areas relating to water treatment and reuse that incorporate my interests in environmental microbiology, geochemistry, remediation, and toxicology. I look forward to developing my research group at CSM and will be actively looking for new graduate students in 2009.

On the personal side, I am married to Melissa Sharp, a middle school science teacher. We have a three year old son, Jady and are expecting our second child this October. Though I grew up on the ocean and will always have salt in my blood, I’ve never had a bad day in the mountains. I enjoy all sports outdoors and have a particular weakness for backcountry skiing, biking, and climbing.

Photos

Publications

Schofield EJ, Veeramani H, Sharp JO, Suvorova E, Bernier-Latmani R, Mehta A, Stahlman J, Webb SM, Clark DL, Conradson SD, Ilton ES, and Bargar JR (2008). Structure of biogenic UO2 produced by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Env. Sci. Technol. in press.

Ulrich KU, Singh A, Schofield EJ, Bargar JR, Veeramani H, Sharp JO, Bernier-Latmani R, Giammar DE (2008). Dissolution of biogenic and synthetic UO2 under varied reducing conditions. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42:5600-5606.

Sharp JO, Sales C, LeBlanc J, Liu J, Wood T, Eltis L, Mohn W, and Alvarez-Cohen L (2007). An inducible propane monooxygenase is responsible for n-nitrosodimethylamine degradation by Rhodococcus sp. Strain RHA1. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73:6930-6938.

Sharp JO, Wood TK, and Alvarez-Cohen L (2005). Aerobic biodegradation of n-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) by axenic bacterial strains. Biotech. and Bioeng. 89: 608-18.

Mitch WA, Sharp JO, Trussell RR, Valentine RL, Alvarez-Cohen L, and Sedlak DL (2003). N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) as a drinking water contaminant: a review. Envir. Engrg. Science. 20: 389-404.

Deeb RA, Sharp JO, Stocking A, McDonald S, West KA, Laugier M, Alvarez PJJ, Kavanaugh MC, and Alvarez-Cohen L (2002). Impact of ethanol on benzene plume lengths: microbial and modeling studies. J. Envir. Engrg. 128: 868-75.

Oremland RS, Dowdle PR, Hoeft S, Sharp JO, Schaefer JK, Miller LG, Switzer-Blum J, Smith RL, Bloom NS, and Wallschlaeger D (2000). Bacterial dissimilatory reduction of arsenate and sulfate in meromictic Mono Lake, California. Geochim Cosmochim Ac. 64: 3073-84.