Dr. Jennifer Biddle exemplifies the ethosof the Joanne Simpson medal, as she is an exceptional midcareer scientist whose research has transformed our understanding of microbial life in the marine subsurface, and she is an inspiring and dedicated leader and servant in transdisciplinary scientific societies. The marine deep biosphere field and the AGU Biogeosciences community as a whole are definitely better because of her creativity, leadership, gumption and willingness to serve.
Dr. Biddle has been a visionary leader in marine subsurface research since the early days of her career, starting with her graduate school adaptation and advancement of biomolecular techniques to reveal the previously hidden “deep biosphere” in marine sediments. Her team was the first to construct a metagenome from marine sediments, which moved beyond simple taxonomy or targeted functional approaches to reveal the broader genomic potential of the many uncultivated microbes in this habitat. While constructing metagenomes from environmental samples is now commonplace, this bulk DNA sequencing technique was groundbreaking in its time and opened the door to new understanding. Not content to stop there, Dr. Biddle’s team also created the first metatranscriptome from the marine subsurface to reveal gene expression. These are a few key examples of Dr. Biddle’s leadership, which blazed a trail of new approaches for marine subsurface research that the community has benefited from greatly.
Dr. Biddle is also a positive role model in terms of her service and leadership. She has contributed years of service to the international scientific ocean drilling program and to the AGU Biogeosciences section, volunteering pretenure to help organize the AGU Fall Meeting for 3 years in a row. Jen was one of the first in our field to recognize the power of internet conferencing platforms to create inclusive scientific gatherings while helping to speed the advancement of science. Her co-creation of the virtual “MicroSeminar” in 2014 revolutionized international participation in virtual meetings way ahead of its time. Likewise, Jen has a well-earned reputation as an unflagging supporter of inclusion and fairness in science, including recent work documenting the unequal impact of the pandemic on academic mothers and offering clear suggestions for institutional changes to remove obstacles to level the playing field. Science would be a much better place if everyone were as giving, empathetic and supportive as she is.
— Beth N. Orcutt
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
East Boothbay, Maine