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Paula V. Welander

Paula V. Welander

· Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Earth System Science

Stanford University · Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Active 2003–2026

h-index31
Citations2.8k
Papers9443 last 5y
Funding$2.4M1 active

Academic metrics are sourced from OpenAlex and public funding records; values may differ from Google Scholar.

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About

Paula V. Welander is a microbiologist and Associate Dean for Research at Stanford University, where she is also a Professor of Earth System Science. She received her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from Occidental College in Los Angeles and completed her PhD in microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007. Her postdoctoral studies were conducted at MIT in the Departments of Biology and of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. Since joining the Stanford faculty in 2013, her research program has focused on understanding the biosynthesis and physiological function of 'molecular fossils' or biomarkers in extant bacteria.

Research topics

  • Biology
  • Computational biology
  • Chemistry
  • Ecology
  • Genetics
  • Astrobiology
  • Microbiology
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Paleontology
  • Biochemistry

Selected publications

  • Lipid biomarkers: molecular tools for illuminating the history of microbial life

    Nature Reviews Microbiology · 2021 · 111 citations

    DOI

  • Identification of a protein responsible for the synthesis of archaeal membrane-spanning GDGT lipids

    Nature Communications · 2022 · 92 citations

    Senior authorCorresponding

    Glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are archaeal monolayer membrane lipids that can provide a competitive advantage in extreme environments. Here, we identify a radical SAM protein, tetraether synthase (Tes), that participates in the synthesis of GDGTs. Attempts to generate a tes-deleted mutant in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius were unsuccessful, suggesting that the gene is essential in this organism. Heterologous expression of tes homologues leads to production of GDGT and structurall…

    DOI

  • De novo cholesterol biosynthesis in bacteria

    Nature Communications · 2023 · 36 citations

    Senior authorCorresponding

    Eukaryotes produce highly modified sterols, including cholesterol, essential to eukaryotic physiology. Although few bacterial species are known to produce sterols, de novo production of cholesterol or other complex sterols in bacteria has not been reported. Here, we show that the marine myxobacterium Enhygromyxa salina produces cholesterol and provide evidence for further downstream modifications. Through bioinformatic analysis we identify a putative cholesterol biosynthesis pathway in E. salina…

    DOI

  • Identification of two archaeal GDGT lipid–modifying proteins reveals diverse microbes capable of GMGT biosynthesis and modification

    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2024-06-17 · 22 citations

    articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

    Archaea produce unique membrane-spanning lipids (MSLs), termed glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), which aid in adaptive responses to various environmental challenges. GDGTs can be modified through cyclization, cross-linking, methylation, hydroxylation, and desaturation, resulting in structurally distinct GDGT lipids. Here, we report the identification of radical SAM proteins responsible for two of these modifications—a glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraether (GMGT) synthase (Gms), res…

    PublisherOA PDFDOI

  • Tetraether archaeal lipids promote long‐term survival in extreme conditions

    Molecular Microbiology · 2024-02-19 · 11 citations

    articleOpen access

    The sole unifying feature of the incredibly diverse Archaea is their isoprenoid-based ether-linked lipid membranes. Unique lipid membrane composition, including an abundance of membrane-spanning tetraether lipids, impart resistance to extreme conditions. Many questions remain, however, regarding the synthesis and modification of tetraether lipids and how dynamic changes to archaeal lipid membrane composition support hyperthermophily. Tetraether membranes, termed glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol te…

    PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

Frequent coauthors

  • Clyde A. Smith

    Stanford University

    78 shared

  • Liting Zhai

    Hunan University of Science and Engineering

    77 shared

  • Hannah Oo

    Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource

    77 shared

  • Jonathan Chiu‐Chun Chou

    Stanford University

    77 shared

  • Laura M. K. Dassama

    Stanford Medicine

    77 shared

  • Amber C. Bonds

    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

    77 shared

  • Roger E. Summons

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    39 shared

  • Jeremy H. Wei

    Stanford University

    23 shared

Labs

Education

  • B.A., Microbiology

    Occidental College

  • Ph.D., Microbiology

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Other, Biology and Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

    MIT

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