Robert M Kelly

About

Robert M Kelly is the Alcoa Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NC State University. His research focuses on the genomics, physiology, enzymology, and biotechnological potential of microorganisms that thrive in extreme environments, such as geothermal sites and volcanic regions. These microorganisms, primarily extremely thermophilic bacteria and archaea, have optimal growth temperatures above 70°C and produce highly thermostable enzymes that hold promise as biocatalysts. Kelly's work involves understanding the bioenergetics, biochemistry, physiology, and genomics of these organisms, with applications in biotransformations, biofuels, metal recovery, and industrial biocatalysis. His research has contributed to technological developments related to bioenergy, biometallurgy, and synthetic biology, addressing fundamental issues at the interface of biology and engineering.

Research topics

• Biology
• Computational biology
• Genetics
• Evolutionary biology
• Computer Science
• Ecology
• Astronomy
• Zoology
• Pulp and paper industry
• Physics

Selected publications

• A genomic catalog of Earth’s microbiomes

  Nature Biotechnology · 2020 · 963 citations

  The reconstruction of bacterial and archaeal genomes from shotgun metagenomes has enabled insights into the ecology and evolution of environmental and host-associated microbiomes. Here we applied this approach to >10,000 metagenomes collected from diverse habitats covering all of Earth's continents and oceans, including metagenomes from human and animal hosts, engineered environments, and natural and agricultural soils, to capture extant microbial, metabolic and functional potential. This compre…

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• Unraveling the functional dark matter through global metagenomics

  Nature · 2023 · 193 citations

  . Using massively parallel graph-based clustering, we group these proteins into 106,198 novel sequence clusters with more than 100 members, doubling the number of protein families obtained from the reference genomes clustered using the same approach. We annotate these families on the basis of their taxonomic, habitat, geographical and gene neighbourhood distributions and, where sufficient sequence diversity is available, predict protein three-dimensional models, revealing novel structures. Overa…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Multiplex CRISPR editing of wood for sustainable fiber production

  Science · 2023 · 110 citations

  The domestication of forest trees for a more sustainable fiber bioeconomy has long been hindered by the complexity and plasticity of lignin, a biopolymer in wood that is recalcitrant to chemical and enzymatic degradation. Here, we show that multiplex CRISPR editing enables precise woody feedstock design for combinatorial improvement of lignin composition and wood properties. By assessing every possible combination of 69,123 multigenic editing strategies for 21 lignin biosynthesis genes, we deduc…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The biology of thermoacidophilic archaea from the order <i>Sulfolobales</i>

  FEMS Microbiology Reviews · 2020 · 59 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Thermoacidophilic archaea belonging to the order Sulfolobales thrive in extreme biotopes, such as sulfuric hot springs and ore deposits. These microorganisms have been model systems for understanding life in extreme environments, as well as for probing the evolution of both molecular genetic processes and central metabolic pathways. Thermoacidophiles, such as the Sulfolobales, use typical microbial responses to persist in hot acid (e.g. motility, stress response, biofilm formation), albeit with…

  DOI

• Thousands of small, novel genes predicted in global phage genomes

  Cell Reports · 2022 · 55 citations

  Small genes (<150 nucleotides) have been systematically overlooked in phage genomes. We employ a large-scale comparative genomics approach to predict >40,000 small-gene families in ∼2.3 million phage genome contigs. We find that small genes in phage genomes are approximately 3-fold more prevalent than in host prokaryotic genomes. Our approach enriches for small genes that are translated in microbiomes, suggesting the small genes identified are coding. More than 9,000 families encode potentially…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01GM090209

  NIH · $530k · 2012

• Leveraging Extreme Thermoacidophily for Bio-based Chemicals

  NSF · $301k · 2018–2023

• Collaborative Research: Biotransformations Near and Above 100°C: Hyperthermophilic Microorganisms and Enzymes for Bioenergy Conversion

  NSF · $420k · 2006–2010

Frequent coauthors

• Michael W. W. Adams

  University of Georgia

  106 shared

• Sara E. Blumer‐Schuette

  Oakland University

  36 shared

• Gina L. Lipscomb

  University of Georgia

  27 shared

• Jonathan M. Conway

  Princeton University

  25 shared

• Ryan G. Bing

  North Carolina State University

  25 shared

• Donald A. Comfort

  University of Dayton

  24 shared

• Shannon B. Conners

  SAS Institute (United States)

  22 shared

• Farris L. Poole

  University of Georgia

  22 shared

Similar researchers at North Carolina State University

• José Alonsoh-94
• Anastasios A Tsiatish-80
• David C Muddimanh-71