Dr. John Kyndt

• Ph.D. Biochemistry
  University of Ghent (Belgium), 2003
• Master in Biochemistry
  University of Ghent (Belgium), 1997
• Bachelor in Chemistry
  University of Ghent (Belgium), 1993
• Associate Certificate in Entrepreneurship
  University of Arizona, 2010

• Research Assistant Professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona (2007-2012); Post-doc in Biochemistry and Protein Engineering, University of Ghent, Belgium (2006-2007)
• Post-doc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Arizona (2003-2006)

• Microbiome and extremophiles
• Renewable fuel research, photobiochemistry, optogenetics, and water purification.
• Entrepreneurship: business plan development, financial projecting for new innovations, project planning and supervision of technology ventures.

• Faculty Award for Excellence in Innovation Award from Bellevue University, 2026.
• EPSCoR (NSF) grant on Undergraduate Research Experience at Small Colleges and Universities, entitled: Nebraska Salt Marsh Microbiome: an exploration of spatial and temporal microbial diversity (PI, 2024).
• Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) grant to support the development of Sustainability Learning Lab at BU (PI, 2019-2021).
• EPSCoR (NSF) grant on Undergraduate Research Experience at Small Colleges and Universities, entitled: Devising molecular tools for genetic manipulation of Galdieria sulphuraria, a microalga optimized for biofuel production from waste sources (PI, 2019).
• Faculty Award for Excellence in Innovation Award from Bellevue University, 2019.
• Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching Award from Bellevue University, 2019.

Peer-reviewed articles (most recent 10 only):

1. Orta Medellin, M.F., Aguirre Zepeda, E.Y., Gallegos Martinez, G., Kyndt, J.A. 2026 New purple sulfur bacteria genomes from Nebraska salt marsh enrichments.
Microbiol Resour Announc 0:e00927-26. https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00927-26

2. Balón-Rosas, L.Y., Smolina, I., Kyndt, J., Kiron, V., Wijffels, R.H., Galindo, E., Serrano-Carreón, L., Morales-Sánchez, D. 2026. Thermal acclimation and nitrogen deprivation drive distinct transcriptomic reprogramming toward a shared lipid phenotype in the polar marine microalga Chlamydomonas malina RCC2488. Journal of Biotechnology 417, 141-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.06.004.

3. Kyndt, J.A.; Petrova, K.O.; Toshchakov, S.V.; Bryantseva, I.A. 2026. Genome Sequence and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Sulfide-Oxidizing Heliobacterium “Heliomicrobium sulfidophilum” Strain BR4. Microorganisms 14, 1160. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14051160

4. Imhoff, J.F.; Kyndt, J.A. 2026. Photosynthesis Has Been Established Only Once—Evolution of Photosynthetic Reaction Center Proteins and Bacteriochlorophyll Biosynthesis. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol., 48, 306. https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb48030306

5. Messner K., Pereira C., Kyndt J.A., Palmer M., Yurkov V. 2026. Apolloniradiicaulis salifontis gen. nov., sp. nov., a New Prosthecate Aerobic Anoxygenic Phototroph Isolated from Lake Winnipegosis Region Salt Springs. Microorganisms 14(3):525. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14030525

6. Messner K., Kyndt J.A., and Yurkov V. 2026. Rhizorhabdus antheiae sp. nov. and Sphingomonas eleionomae sp. nov., new aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs isolated
from a Manitoban marsh. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 76:007018 DOI 10.1099/ijsem.0.007018

7. Hobbs A.; Ochoa-Rojas D.; Humphrey C.E.; Kyndt J.A.; Moore T.C. 2026. Soil microbiome perturbation impedes growth of Bouteloua curtipendula and increases relative abundance of soil microbial pathogens. PLoS One 21(1): e0312218. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312218

8. Stock, E.K.; Rota, K.; Dunn, B.; Vasquez, M.; Hernandez-Velazquez, D.; Lespes, A.; Bosmans, S.; Smith, J.C.; Kyndt, J.A. 2025. Seasonal Variations of the Nebraska Salt Marsh Microbiome: Environmental Impact, Antibiotic Resistance, and Unique Species. Microorganisms, 13, 2369. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13102369

9. Kyndt J.A. 2025. Vibrio cholerae genome isolated from the Nebraska salt marshes contains several antibiotic resistance markers. Microbiol Resour Announc 0:e00007-25. https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00007-25

10. Bryantseva, I.A.; Kyndt, J.A.; Imhoff, J.F. 2025. First genome sequence of a purple sulphur bacterium of the genus Thioalkalicoccus, its characterization as a new isolate of Thioalkalicoccus limnaeus and proposal of strain Um2 as neotype of this species. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 75(1):006657. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.006657

• Microbiome metagenomics and whole genome sequencing
• Biofuels (specifically adaptation of algae for enhanced fuel production)
• Biochemistry and molecular biology (genetic manipulation of algae and bacteria)
• Cytochrome bc1 complex
• Bacterial photoreceptors and optogenetics

Dr. Kyndt has been a TEDx speaker in 2013 on the topics of ‘How worms, pride, and politics lead to simple science (https://youtu.be/X9s8QI7che8?si=Kk1GMlg44q1GAY0_) and in 2024 on the topic of Extremophiles: The Life on the Edge We Cannot See (https://youtu.be/ygutnM6xzRE?si=nS3zNeWRKt7kz1Me).