How do living organisms build minerals with such precision, diversity, and functionality?

Biomineralization underlies coral skeletons, diatom silica walls, sponge spicules, fish otoliths, mollusk shells, and many other structures that shape ecology, evolution, and Earth’s carbon and silicon cycles. We study the molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms that control mineral formation, with an emphasis on ion transport, acid–base regulation, vesicular trafficking, organic matrices, and the creation of specialized microenvironments. Our comparative approach spans diverse biomineralizing systems to identify both evolutionarily conserved mechanisms and lineage-specific innovations. We are especially interested in how cells dynamically regulate the chemistry of mineral-forming spaces, and how these processes respond to natural environmental variability.

This work connects fundamental biology with pressing environmental questions, including coral reef persistence, ocean change, and the vulnerability of calcifying and silicifying organisms. It also provides inspiration for biotechnology, where biological strategies for building materials may inform new approaches to mineral synthesis, carbon capture, and bio-inspired design.