John R. Spear

Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

The great majority of life on Earth is microbial in size, things only visible through the microscope. Almost all of these microbes are harmless to humans and in fact, provide vital ecosystem services to just about every habitat on the planet—including our own bodies. We are interested in the who, what, when, where, why and how questions about microbial life—in essence, microbial ecology. We think and work with both the fundamentals of Basic Science and translate that into very Applied Science to make better and more favorable use of microbial-related processes.

Who are they?—We are interested in the diversity of this microbial life in all three domains of life—Eucarya, Bacteria and Archaea. What do they do?—Are they interacting and / or changing their environment? What can they do for us?—Can we learn how to optimize a microbial process for bioremediation or for bioenergy? When are the microbiota of a particular environment active?—Can we manipulate that activity for stimulation in an engineered system or process? Where are they?—Is a certain microbe only found in one place or throughout the ecosystem / world? Why are they there? Why do they do what they do? This leads us to ask “how?” Do microbiota interact with their world? Do microbiota use energy flow in novel ways? Do microbiota process metal and /or heavy metals? Are these processes beneficial to humanity?

It is in the pursuit of the answers to these questions that leads us to better understand our natural world that is filled with revelations and surprise—on a daily basis! Over the past twenty years the fields of Environmental Microbiology and Geobiology have progressed like no other in science! We are lucky to live, work and tell amazing stories of this microbial world in this time!

Labs and Research Centers

• Personal / Laboratory / Student Resources Website

Education

• PhD, Colorado School of Mines
• MS, Colorado School of Mines
• BA, University of California, San Diego (Animal Physiology/Biochemistry; Minor–Psychology)

Experience

• 2014 – Present: Professor
• 2015 – 2018: Associate Vice President for Research
• 2010 – 2014: Associate Professor
• 2005 – 2010: Assistant Professor
• 2010 – 2016: Co – Director, International Geobiology Course
• 2001 – 2008: Instructor/Faculty, International Geobiology Course
• 1999 – 2005: Postdoc, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder; Laboratory of Dr. Norman R. Pace.
• 1992 – 1999: Graduate Student, Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
• 1988 – 1992: Instructor / Operations Manager, National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Lander, WY
• 1986 – 1989: Manager, Keystone Ski Area, Keystone, Colorado
• 1984 – 1986: Research Technician, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA

Teaching

• CEEN 460 / 560 – Molecular Microbial Ecology & the Environment
• CEEN 595 – Introduction to NEPA, The National Environmental Policy Act (a policy class)
• CEEN 573 – Reclamation of Disturbed Lands (a policy class)
• HNRS 440 – McBride Honors Program—Explorations in International Studies and Global Affairs: Nepal
• HNRS 445 – McBride Honors Program—The Evolution Revolution
• HNRS 450 – McBride Honors Program—Science, Technology and Ethics: Unnatural Disasters
• CEEN 302 – Environmental Engineering: Air and Waste Management
• CSM Senior Design: Various Projects in Various Countries

Research Areas

The Spear Research Group is primarily interested in microbes—in any environment. For the past 20 years or so, we have been engaged mostly with the geology : biology interface—Geobiology. We begin with skilled field work to different environments for sample collection that typically includes samples for subsequent geology, geochemistry and microbiology analyses. Upon return to the laboratory, we engage in microscopy (basic to complex), cultivation, ‘—omics’ technologies that include metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metabolomics, single-cell genomics and overall microbiome analysis via advanced bioinformatics interpretation. Current research projects include:

• Analysis of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) on steel and other materials
• The microbiome of snow
• The characterization of subsurface microbiomes in zones of serpentinization in the Sultanate of Oman—part of the NASA Astrobiology Institute Rock Powered Life Team
• The geobiology of silicification and stromatolite building in the world’s best example of living stromatolites in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
• The microbiome of fire recovery after catastrophic wildland fire
• The characterization of microbes associated with sulfur and ice at Borup Fiord Pass Glacier, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada
• Subsurface microbiology in mines including the local Edgar Mine (hotlink to: https://mining.mines.edu/edgar-experimental-mine/ ), the Golden Sun Mine and the Henderson Molybdenum Mine

Selected Publications

• Colman, D.R., A.S. Templeton, J.R. Spear and E.S. Boyd. 2025. “The Microbial Ecology of Serpentinite-Hosted Ecosystems.” ISME Journal, 19(1), wraf029: 1 – 22. doi: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf029.
• Rasmussen, K.L., P.H. Thieringer, S. Nevadomski, A.M. Martinez, K.S. Dawson, F.A. Corsetti, X-Y Zheng, Y. Lv, X. Chen, A.J. Celestian, W.M. Berelson, N.E. Rollins and J.R. Spear. 2024. “Living to Lithified: Construction and Preservation of Silicified Biomarkers.” Geobiology, 22(5): 1 – 30. doi: 10.1111/gbi.12620.
• Hamden, N., C. Villarruel, M.N. Newmeyer, V. Wallace, J.R. Spear, J.F. Ranville and C. Prasse. 2024.  “Assessing the Impact of Recreational Activities on Streams: A Colorado Case Study.” Environmental Science and Technology—Water. doi: 10.1021/acsestwater.4c00327.
• Remphert, K.R., E.A. Kraus, D.B. Nothaft, N. Dildar, J.R. Spear, J. Sepúlveda and A.S. Templeton. 2023. “Intact Polar Lipodome and Membrane Adaptations of Microbial Communities Inhabiting Serpentinite-Hosted Fluids.” Frontiers in Microbiology, 14 (2023): 1198786. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1198786.
• Thieringer, P.H., E.S. Boyd, A.S. Templeton and J.R. Spear. 2023. “Metapangenomic Investigation Provides Insight into Niche Differentiation of Methanogenic Populations from the Subsurface Serpentinizing Environment, Samail Ophiolite, Oman.” Frontiers in Microbiology, 14 (2023). doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1205558.
• Rasmussen, K.L., B.W. Stamps, G.F. Vanzin, S.M. Ulrich and J.R. Spear. 2023. “Spatial and Temporal Dynamics at an Actively Silicifying Hydrothermal System.” Frontiers in Microbiology, 14 (2023): 1172798. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1172798.
• Lynch, K.L., K.A. Rey, R.J. Schneider, J.F. Biddle, C. Matthews, J.R. Spear and J. Munakata-Marr.  2019. “Evidence for Biotic Perchlorate Reduction in Naturally Perchlorate-rich Sediments of Pilot Valley Basin, Utah.”  Astrobiology, 19(5): 1 – 13; doi: 
• Wilmeth, D.T., F.A. Corsetti, N.J. Beukes, S.M. Awramik, V. Petryshyn, J.R. Spear and A.J. Celestian.  2019. “Neoarchean (2.7 Ga) Lacustrine Stromatolite Deposits in the Hartbeesfontein Basin, Ventersdorp Supergroup, South Africa: Implications for Oxygen Oases.”  Accepted to Precambrian Research, 320: 291-302; doi: 10.1016/j.precamres.2018.11.009.
• Junkins, E.N., B.W. Stamps, F.A. Corsetti, R.S. Oremland, J.R. Spear and B.S. Stevenson.  2019. “Draft Genome Sequence of Picocystis sp. strain ML, Cultivated from Mono Lake, California.”  Microbiology Resource Announcements (MRA), 8(4): 1 – 3, e01353-18; doi: 10.1128/MRA.01353-18.
• Honeyman, A.S., M. Day and J.R. Spear.  2018. “Regional Fresh Snowfall Microbiology and Chemistry are Driven by Geography in Storm-Tracked Events, Colorado, USA.”  PeerJ, 6: e5961; doi: 10.7717/peerj.5961

Complete Publication List

Awards and Honors

• Excellence in Research Award, 2025, Colorado School of Mines
• Faculty of the Year for CEE from the Senior Class, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013
• Colorado School of Mines, Martin Luther King Award for Diversity and Inclusion, 2010
• Postdoctoral Fellow, The Agouron Institute, 2003 – 2005
• NSF Microbial Biology Postdoctoral Fellow, 2001 – 2003
• Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America