Rowan R. Terra
Computational Biogeochemist and ORISE Postdoctoral Research Fellow
I successfully defended my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Duquesne University in October 2026 (degree conferral pending). My doctoral research on biogeochemical processes in abandoned mine drainage (AMD) was carried out at Duquesne and NETL-DOE under an ORISE research fellowship. These projects (1) characterized AMD feedstocks using field and computational methods and (2) explored microbiological mining for critical mineral (CMM) extraction and recovery. We are now preparing the remaining manuscripts from this work for publication.
I have a decade of research experience spanning biological, chemical, ecological, and computational sciences. These opportunities have helped me flesh out my preference for multidisciplinary approaches to scientific questions. More information can be found in my CV.
In November 2026 I tentatively begin as an ORISE postdoctoral research fellow with Carnegie Mellon University and NETL. I am open to longer-term tenure-track and research and development (R&D) positions in academic, industrial, and government settings, with a preference for multidisciplinary laboratories that mesh bench and computational work. I also continue my consulting work through Terra Cognita LLC. Ultimately, I would like to work toward becoming a principal investigator in any of these environments.
Consulting
I run Terra Cognita LLC, a consulting firm for scientific computing, data analysis, and modeling.
news
| Oct 19, 2026 | Defended my Ph.D. dissertation, A Microbiological Basis for Critical Mineral and Material Acquisition from Abandoned Coal Mines in Pennsylvania, at Duquesne University. |
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| Oct 19, 2026 | Defending my Ph.D. dissertation, A Microbiological Basis for Critical Mineral and Material Acquisition from Abandoned Coal Mines in Pennsylvania, at Duquesne University. |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Presenting Governed by Genomes and Bound by Eh-pH: Guiding Microbial Communities for Recovery of Critical Minerals at GSA Connects 2026 in Denver, CO (October 11–14). |
| Oct 11, 2026 | Presenting the invited talk The Mineral within the Protein: Predicting Structural and Functional Properties of Proteins from Mineralogical Scaffolds at GSA Connects 2026 in Denver, CO (October 11–14). |
| Jun 10, 2026 | Presenting Computational approaches assist in critical mineral recovery and remediation effort prioritization within mining-affected systems at the American Society of Reclamation Sciences 2026 conference in Laramie, WY. |
| May 10, 2026 | Received the American Society of Reclamation Sciences Ph.D. Level Memorial Scholarship Award. |
| Jul 31, 2025 | In this interview, I discuss my Ph.D. projects and my experience as an ORISE fellow. |