his research has been the genetic development of the extremely radiation resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans. Early on, it was evident that D. radiodurans is uniquely suited to the analysis of DNA repair, and the goal of his functional genomics-based program has been to harness Deinococcus resistance mechanisms for practical purposes - including bioremediation, radioprotectors, and for preparing irradiated vaccines. This work has been a regular topic of discussion in mainstream academics, biotechnology, on the Internet, Twitter, and in the news media where Deinococcus has been covered by the BBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, and others.