Growing up in Waverly, Tennessee, Gage Coon spent most of his childhood outdoors. His family kept chickens, horses, and even an emu named Big Bird. His father, a mechanic, taught him to build and repair things, while his mother, a vocational‑school secretary who loved gardening and birdwatching, encouraged him to explore the world around him. This hands‑on upbringing instilled a deep appreciation for natural processes and still shapes his scientific approach today.
Now a third‑year PhD student in MIT’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Coon studies some of the smallest organisms on the planet—microbes. His research examines how microorganisms cycle carbon and sulfur in the environment and how those cycles can be harnessed to mitigate climate change. Experiments take place both in the lab and aboard research vessels, and he enjoys the physicality of touching and watching his samples change.
Coon’s scientific journey began with chemistry. A high‑school chemistry teacher and a summer program sparked his interest, and at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville he joined a microbial biogeochemistry lab that combined chemistry, the environment, and climate processes. As a first‑generation college student, he only learned about PhD programs later in his undergraduate years, but once he discovered academia he was drawn to the promise of “constant learning.”
During his undergraduate studies he already investigated carbon and sulfur cycling in marine sediments and participated in research cruises. In 2022 his first cruise took him to the Atlantic continental slope to study methane seeps and how microbes prevent methane from escaping to the atmosphere. Being in the middle of the ocean gave him a powerful new perspective on the microscopic life he studies.
At MIT, under the mentorship of geobiology professor Tanja Bosak, Coon has continued to focus on microbial carbon‑sulfur cycling, with a stronger emphasis on applications. One major project explores how microbes can reduce methane emissions from wastewater treatment. In conventional anaerobic digesters, microbes break down organic matter and produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Coon’s team discovered that adding gypsum—a waste product from fertilizer manufacturing—redirects the microbial metabolism, converting methane into carbonate (usable for cement, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals) and producing elemental sulfur needed for global fertilizer production. The process turns two waste streams—sewage and gypsum—into valuable materials while cutting greenhouse‑gas emissions. After successful laboratory tests, the team is engaging companies for pilot‑scale trials, hoping large‑city implementations could contribute gigaton‑scale emission reductions.
Beyond the wastewater work, Coon investigates geological processes that generate molecular hydrogen, a potential carbon‑free energy carrier, by studying how iron‑rich rocks break down underground. His thesis also examines microbial competition for acetate and its implications for methane emissions from coastal wetlands, aiming to improve climate predictions and support engineered mitigation strategies.
Outside the lab, Coon enjoys mentoring younger researchers through MIT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and at Tufts University, teaching experimental geobiology techniques. He still connects with nature by hiking local geology, playing bluegrass guitar, and speed‑solving Rubik’s Cubes.
Looking ahead, Coon sees himself in academia, government, or translating environmental technologies to practice. What matters most to him is producing knowledge that helps people understand and improve the world. No matter where he ends up, he expects to keep thinking about how microscopic life links to the global ecosystem and carbon emissions.
Review: Coon’s story illustrates a seamless blend of hands‑on upbringing, interdisciplinary research, and a clear path toward turning fundamental microbial science into tangible climate‑mitigation solutions.