Bryan Rodríguez Colón

Bryan Rodríguez Colón is a 2021-2025 Self Graduate Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Kansas. Originally from Puerto Rico, he completed a double bachelor’s degree in Geology (B.S., 2017) and Biology (B.S., 2017) from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Bryan’s interests in geomicrobiology, astrobiology and carbonate geochemistry led him to pursue a master’s degree in Geology (M.S., 2020) at the University of Kansas in the Microbial Geochemistry Laboratory. There he investigated the role of organic matter abundance and solution chemistry in the formation of magnesium-rich carbonate minerals—such as dolomite—using controlled laboratory experiments. Bryan’s current Ph.D. dissertation will be focused on studying these same processes in natural geomicrobiological environments by investigating the occurrence of hypersaline microbialite systems in the southwest of Puerto Rico. His research will help clarify and validate the role of naturally-occurring, interdependent microbial systems in the lithification and morphogenesis of present-day and ancient geobiological systems on Earth, and possibly, in other astrobiological environments. Bryan is also very passionate about science communication—specially to underrepresented Latinx communities—by engaging in social media platforms and by creating bilingual multimedia content.

Mentor: Jennifer Roberts, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies; Professor, Geology.