Takacs-Vesbach developed a passion for microbial ecology in Dr. Brad Tebo's laboratory at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, CA in 1994.

Interested in microbial thermophiles of Yellowstone National Park research, she joined Dr. John Priscu's laboratory at Montana State University in 1994.

[2] She completed her dissertation research on the factors affecting bacterioplankton biomass and productivity in Antarctic lakes 1999, graduating with a PhD in Microbial Ecology with a minor concentration in Biochemistry from Montana State University.

[3] Following graduation, Takacs-Vesbach took a three-year postdoctoral position with Dr. Anna-Louise Reysenbach at Portland State University where she conducted research on the thermophiles of Yellowstone National Park.

Takacs-Vesbach is interested in determining the spatial and temporal variations of microbial diversity, distribution, and function across all major McMurdo Dry Valley habitats, including cryoconites, streams, lakes, and soils.