Sean O'Connell

Biography

I earned a Ph.D. in microbiology from Idaho State University in 2002 and started on the faculty at WCU in 2001. I received a B.S. in Biology and a secondary science teaching license from Johnson State College in Vermont in 1994 . I also earned an A.S. in Liberal Science from Sullivan County Community College in New York in 1990. I live in Sylva, North Carolina and am married with two children, ages 11 and 15. I enjoy being outside doing things including camping, hiking, birdwatching, and skiing along with friends and family.<br><br>I am originally a native of New England and found my way to WCU via Idaho where I was enrolled in a graduate program at Idaho State University while working in a long-term fellowship at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. From these experiences, I learned how to work in interdisciplinary ways to understand complex environments and how to address human-caused problems in them. For example, the team I was part of studied microorganisms from hundreds of feet below ground to understand their diversity and functions. This involved work with chemists, geologists, and engineers and led to treatment plans for hazardous wastes in the subsurface that microbes could aid in removing, including from drinking water sources. I continue to work at WCU with people from outside of my discipline, such as in stream geochemistry, in the National Park Service, and in forensic anthropology to better understand how microbes play roles in specific habitats.

Education

• Ph D, Idaho State University, Microbiology
• BS, Johnson State College, Biology & Secondary Science Education
• AS, Sullivan County Community College, Biology & Environmental Science

Teaching Interests

I teach courses in general microbiology, microbial ecology, and brewing methods. In microbiology I focus on individual bacterial species within particular environments such as soil, water, and plant and animal hosts. In lab, students work within a specific habitat, e.g., soil from the Smokies, campus streams, or decomposing humans. In microbial ecology, I show interrelationships to other microorganisms and the labs explore a specific habitat. My brewing course focuses on yeast and how they produce fermented products such as beer, cider, and mead. Students learn how to make these products and how to assess their creations and improve their processes.

Research Interests

My research interests are tied to the diversity of microbial life. I have worked in Great Smoky Mountains National Park since my first year at WCU. My students and I have explored the diversity of bacteria in soils, waters, caves, and elk and hemlock hosts. We try to understand the extent of species diversity in these environments and how species interact. More recently our work has expanded to include fungi and nematodes from the same habitats. I also have worked with students at WCU’s FOREST facility to understand microbial dynamics during decomposition as a tool for forensic analyses.