Science
I conduct research in the Summons Lab, focusing on carotenoids in low oxygen environments. My goal is to understand how these substances are formed and preserved, so that we can gain insights into past ecosystems and the evolution of life.
MIT
Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Spring 2021-present Principal Investigator: Prof. Roger E. Summons Objective: Biomarker signature and preservation of green sulfur bacteria in euxinic environments
Fall 2018-Spring 2021 Secondary Investigator: Prof. Andrew Babbin Objective: Understand the role of bacterial metabolisms in shaping the chemistry of their environment.
BENCHTOP SKILLS
Instruments: Mars6 microwave extractionsGC-MS, GC-MS/MS, GC-FID
Techniques: spectrophotometric pH measurements, nitrate and nitrite chemical measurements, chemiluminescent NOx measurements, alkalinity water measurements, bacteria isolation and culturing, DNA extraction and purification, lipid extraction, column chromatography, Raney Nickel desulfurization
COMPUTER SKILLS
Programming Language: BASH, Python
Bioinformatics Packages: CheckM, BayesHammer, MegaHit, MaxBin, Prokka, Trimmomatic, BLAST
Barry University
Physical Sciences Department
Fall 2014- Fall 2017 RISE Research Assistant Principal Investigator: Prof. Tamara Hamilton Objective: Solvent-free synthesis of porphine and bis-pocket porphyrin
BENCHTOP SKILLS
Instruments: proton NMR Spectroscopy, IR-Spectroscopy, UV-Visible Absorption Spectroscopy
Techniques: mechanochemical synthesis of organic compounds, acid-catalyzed oxidation, air-sensitive reactions using Schlenk lines
Brown University
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Summer 2017 Leadership Alliance Summer Research Fellow Principal Investigator: Prof. James Russell Objective: Develop long-chain diols as a paleoenvironmental proxy in lake sediments
BENCHTOP SKILLS
Instruments: GC IRMS, Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE)
RSMAS University of Miami
Chemical Oceanography Department
Summer 2016 Leadership Alliance Summer Research Fellow Principal Investigator: Dr. Frank J. Millero Objective: Calibrating tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (TRIS) buffers for pH measurements in natural seawater
BENCHTOP SKILLS
Instruments: Spectrophotometric pH measurements, salinometer, and preparation of TRIS buffers
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences
Summer 2015 Summer Research Fellow Principal Investigator: Dr. Ron Kiene Objective: Investigate the role of Naturally-occurring DMSP analogs as potential precursors of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and methanethiol (MeSH) in coastal seawater
BENCHTOP SKILLS
Instruments: Cryotrapping GC, GC MS
Publications
Peer Reviewed
Dumit, D., Cinay, T. et al. Coincident biogenic nitrite and pH maxima arise in the upper anoxic layer in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific. Global Biogeochem Cycles 36, e2022GB007470 (2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022GB007470
Babbin, A.R., Tamasi, T., Dumit, D. et al. Discovery and quantification of anaerobic nitrogen metabolisms among oxygenated tropical Cuban stony corals. ISME J 15, 1222–1235 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-020-00845-2
Zhang, I.H., Mullen, S., Ciccarese, D., Dumit, D. et al. Ratio of Electron Donor to Acceptor Influences Metabolic Specialization and Denitrification Dynamics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Mixed Carbon Medium. Front. Microbiol 12, 1-13 (2021) https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.711073
Abstracts
Diana Cordero Dumit, Ashling Neary, and Dr. James Russell. 2017. Long-chain diols as a paleoenvironmental proxy in lake sediments. 2017 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, Phoenix, AZ, November 1-5, 2017 (poster).
Diana Cordero and Tamara D. Hamilton. 2017. Mechanochemical synthesis of porphine and bis-pocket porphyrin. 253rd ACS National Meeting and Exposition, San Francisco, CA, April 2-6, 2017. Paper ID: 2651190. (poster).
Diana Cordero and Ronald P. Kiene. 2015. Naturally-occurring DMSP analogs as potential precursors of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and methanethiol (MeSH) in coastal seawater. ASLO 2016, New Orleans, LA, February 21- 26, 2015. (ED14B-1635) (poster).
Diana Cordero and Tamara Hamilton. 2015. Mechanochemistry as a greener route to biological porphyrin targets. PacifiChem 2015, Honolulu, HI, December 15-20, 2015. (#322 https://ep70.eventpilotadmin.com/web/page.php?page=Session&project=Pachem15&id=187625)(poster).