Rowan R. Terra

Computational Biogeochemistry Ph.D. Candidate and ORISE Research Fellow

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I am a Ph.D. candidate conducting research on biogeochemical processes in abandoned mine drainage at Duquesne University and NETL-DOE under an ORISE research fellowship. My current projects (1) characterize AMD feedstocks using field and computational methods while also (2) exploring microbiological mining for critical mineral extraction and recovery. Three manuscripts are currently under review or in preparation, with several others expected in the next tweleve months.

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I have a decade of research experience spanning biological, chemical, ecological, and computational sciences. These opportunities have helped me flesh out my preference for multi-disciplinary approaches to scientific questions. More information can be found in my CV.

I anticipate searching for post-doctoral or industry positions wtih late 2026 or early 2027 start dates. I am open to work in academic, government, or industry settings, with a preference for multi-disciplinary laboratories that mesh bench and computational work. Ultimately, I would like to work towards becoming a principal investigator in any of these environments.

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Oct 25, 2025 Presenting two talks: (1) Recursive Modeling Connects Geochemistry and Genomics in Critical Minerals Characterization and (2) Microbiological Mining of Critical Minerals is Altered by Community Modifying Metal Enrichments at the Geological Society of America Connects 2025 conference in San Antonio, TX.
Sep 24, 2025 Invited to present Computational Biogeochemistry Assists in Critical Mineral Recovery from Abandoned Coal Mine Drainage and Associated Precipitants at the WILDs Community Partnership Symposium.
Aug 20, 2025 Presenting Computational prospecting for rare earth element feedstocks in Pennsylvania at the 2025 American Chemical Society national conference in Washington, D.C.
Jul 31, 2025 In this interview, I discuss my Ph.D. projects and my experience as an ORISE fellow.