#  Home 

 



##  Lab for Molecular Biogeochemistry and Organic Geochemistry 

 

 

       ![people on boat](/sites/g/files/omnuum436/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2023-11/home_pic_1_-_ann_pearson.jpeg?itok=HD0nsTOX) 

 

 



 

 



 

Our ability to understand past, present and future environments depends on our ability to understand the biochemical complexity found in nature and its effects on the carbon cycle. Whether we are studying microbial pathways of carbon fixation, lipid distributions in marine sediments, or the oxygen requirements of individual enzymes, our goal is to understand how and why organisms leave particular chemical signals in the geologic record.



 

 

 

 

Principal Investigator

### Ann Pearson 

 

PVK Professor of Arts and Sciences  
Murray and Martha Ross Professor of Environmental Sciences

Geo Museum 362  
20 Oxford St.  
Cambridge MA 02138 USA

[View full profile & contact information](/people/ann-pearson "Ann Pearson")

[View Pearson Lab FAQ](/frequently-asked-questions "Frequently Asked Questions")



 



      ![Ann Pearson](/sites/g/files/omnuum436/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-01/ann_portrait.jpeg?itok=XIxKzB9K) 

 

 

  

 



 

 

 

 

### Research 

 

The Lab for Molecular Biogeochemistry and Organic Geochemistry has pioneered the use of natural radiocarbon (14C) measurements of individual biomolecules to understand the biogeochemical processes mediated by uncultured communities of prokaryotes.



 [ Learn more about our research arrow\_circle\_right ](/research) 

 



      ![lab setting](/sites/g/files/omnuum436/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2024-01/hans-reniers-lQGJCMY5qcM-unsplash%20%281%29.jpg?itok=rOVEUd-F)