Research Interests:  Aquatic Microbial Ecology

Introducing a molecular biology research component to Dr. Mulholland's lab, Dr. Al-Rshaidat's research uses a variety of research approaches (bioinformatics, molecular biology, microbial oceanography, and traditional microbiology). Focus is on the diversity, ecology, and physiology of microorganisms that inhabit coastal and open ocean seawater.

Current projects focus on molecular diversity of nitrogen fixing microorganisms in the world oceans, with specific interest in the Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) in the Indian Ocean, and evolution of nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria in a high CO2 world.