His fascination with molecular biology and problem solving led him to study genetics and metabolism at the University of Wisconsin, earning a PhD in Bacteriology. During graduate school Jeff began to appreciate the other 99% of bacteria in the world beyond the ~1% that influence human health, and wonder if environmental microbes could be engineered for biotechnology. This led him to specialize in geomicrobiology as a postdoc at Caltech. His lab at the U studies how bacteria from the environment can electrically interface with metals and minerals. Using Synthetic Biology, students in his lab are trying to engineer these microbes for bioenergy applications.