Victoria J. Orphan is a geobiologist at the California Institute of Technology who studies the interactions between marine microorganisms and their environment.
[4] Orphan is the James Irvine Professor of Environmental Science and Geobiology at the California Institute of Technology.
[5] She has also been an adjunct scientist at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) since 2009[6] and Senior Scientist of the Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations, a Science and Technology Center funded by the National Science Foundation and headquartered at the University of Southern California.
[10] She is the director of Caltech's Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory as well as the Center for Environmental Microbial Interactions (CEMI).
[11] Orphan's research integrates molecular, microscopy, and geochemical techniques to improve understanding of various processes, including those that serve as the primary sink for the greenhouse gas methane in the ocean.
[14] Through her research, Orphan has helped develop novel stable isotope applications that provide insight into the relationship between microbes and large-scale geochemical processes.
[15] Orphan appeared in the 2018 Netflix documentary The Most Unknown[16] on scientific research directed by Ian Cheney.
Orphan is in a relationship with fellow scientist Shana K. Goffredi, who teaches biology at Occidental College and also studies deep-sea ecosystems.
Multiple archaeal groups mediate methane oxidation in anoxic cold seep sediments.
Geological, geochemical, and microbiological heterogeneity of the seafloor around methane vents in the Eel River Basin, offshore California.
Geobiological investigations using secondary ion mass spectrometry: microanalysis of extant and paleo-microbial processes.