Academic Education:

B.Sc., Soil Biology, Moscow State University, School of Biology & Soil Science
M.Sc., Mathematical Biology, Moscow State University, School of Mechanics & Mathematics
D.Sci., Microbiology, Moscow State University

Appointments:

Research Professor, Northeastern University, Biology Department (2009 - present)

Senior Research Scientist, Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering (2007 - 2009)

Professor in Chemical Biology, Stevens Inst. of Technology, School of Sci. & Arts (1999 - 2007)

Visiting Professor, Lund University, Sweden, Ecology Dept. (1998 - 1999)

Visiting Professor, University of Louisville, Ky, Biology Dept. (1996 - 1997)

Adjunct Professor, Moscow University, Microbiology Dept. (1990-1996)

Head of Laboratory, Vice-Director, Institute of Microbiology, Moscow (1989 - 2002)

Postdoctoral Associate, London University, King’s College, Dept. Microbiology (1976 - 1977)

Researcher, Moscow University, Soil Biology Dept. (1975 - 1989)

Other Professional Activities:

History of Science

• Mathematical and physical biology
• Microbiology before L. Pasteur
• Microbial ecology and macroecology

Review of proposals (NSF) and manuscripts (Nature, Microbial Ecology, Microbiology, Polar Research, Biogeochemistry, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Global Change Biology)

Member of professional societies and committees:

• ASM, American Microbiological Society
• AGU, American Geophysical Union
• ISME, International Society for Microbial Ecology
• Russian Microbiological Society
• IASC, International Arctic Science Committee
• Member of the International Working Group on the Planning of Environmental Research in Arctic
• Member of the CAT-B Committee (Biodiversity in Arctic and Alpine Ecosystems)

Research Interests:

• Quantitative microbial physiology, growth kinetics and stoichiometry. Integral view of cellular functions, molar yield, bioenergetics, maintenance, steady-state and transient performance of cells, gene expression under normal and stress conditions, starvation dynamics. Mathematical modeling of growth (metabolic flux balancing, image analysis, bioinformatics)

• Automation and instrumentation of biological experiments. Design of microbial fermentation systems, probes for monitoring of cells and metabolites, data mining

• Theoretical and experimental ecology

  • Interactions of microorganisms with plants (rhizosphere) and animals (e.g. digestive tract of earthworms, termites, isopods),

  • community evolution and ecological succession

  • sympatric speciation

  • understanding and prediction of biospheric processes under anticipated climatic changes

  • cold and hot extreme ecosystems

  • subsoil remediation from heavy metals and radionuclides

  • human body as microbial habitat

 

• Biofuel development. Lignocellulose digestion and fermentation into ethanol in natural habitats (soils, biocomposts, hydrothermal vents, permafrost) and in bioreactors; phylogenetic and metabolic diversity; regulation and optimization.

• Biohazard detection in natural environments. Novel instrumental techniques (mass-spectrometry, FTIR, Terahertz spectrometry etc.) that generate unique ‘fingerprint’ for pathogenic bacteria in air, water and soils.

Left: UV-microscopic image of bacteria Clostridium thermocellum (stained red); digesting cellulose (particles stained green).

Right: result of computer image analysis generating size distribution of particulate matter

Teaching Activities:

Metabolic Engineering (Dartmouth College, 2008 – 2009)

Microbiology, lectures & lab (Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ, 2001-2006)

Introductory Biology, lectures, recitation and lab for undergrad students (Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ, 2001-2006)

Cell Biology/lectures & lab (Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ, 2001-2006)

Biochemistry/lectures & recitation (Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ, 2002-2006)

Microbial Ecology, Selected Topics for grad students (Lund University, 1998 and Michigan State University, East Lansing, 1995-96)

Microbial Physiology (Moscow University, 1990-93)

Biokinetics (Moscow University, 1980-89)

Adviser to 15 PhD and +20 Master students (Moscow, Lund and Stevens)

Selected Publications:

Panikov N.S. Microbial Growth Kinetics. London, Glasgow et al.: Chapman & Hall. 1995: 378 p.

Panikov, N.S. (2005) Microbial Processes: Kinetics. In: Hillel, D., (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment, pp. 463-479. Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd.

Panikov, N.S. (1999, 2008) Kinetics, Microbial Growth. In: Michael C. Flickinger & Stephen W. Drew (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Bioprocess Technology: Fermentation, Biocatalysts and Bioseparation. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: 1513-1543.

Dedysh S.N.; Panikov N.S.; Liesak W.; Groskopf R., and Tiedje J.M. (1998) Isolation of the elusive acidophilic methanotrophs from northern peat wetlands. Science.; 282(5387): 281-284.

Panikov, N.S. 2005. Contribution of Nanosized Bacteria to the Total Biomass and Activity of Soil Microbial Community. Adv. Appl Microbiol 57: 243-93.

Panikov, N.S., 1994. Population dynamics of microorganisms with different life strategies. In: Environmental Gene Release. Models, experiments and risk assessment (Ed. by M.J.Bazin and J.M.Lynch) 47-65.

Panikov N.S. Understanding and prediction of soil microbial community dynamics under global change (1999) Applied Soil Ecology 11(1): 161-176.

Sizova, M.V., Panikov, N.S., Tourova, T.P. and Flanagan, P.W. (2003) Isolation and characterization of oligotrophic acidotolerant methanogenic consortia from a Sphagnum peat bog. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 45, 301-315.

Panikov, N.S., Sizova, M.V. and Lynd, L.R. Selection of cellulolytic microbes with high growth rate. US Patent.

Callaghan, T.V. et al. (2004) Biodiversity, distributions and adaptations of Arctic species in the context of environmental change. Ambio 33, 404-17.

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