Alekhina Irina A.


Alekhina Irina A., Ph.D. in biology, Senior Researcher of the Climate and Environmental Research Laboratory, the State Research Center of the Russian Federation – the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia.


WoS Researcher ID: L-2163-2016
Scopus ID: 6602975693
ORCID: 0000-0001-9820-8675
ÐÈÍÖ SPIN-êîä: 5000-0501
ÐÈÍÖ AuthorID: 80727


Education
1989: Department of Biochemistry, Erevan State University, Erevan, Armenia. Ph.D. in Biochemistry (awarded by Erevan State University).
1985-1989: Post-graduate student. Department of Biochemistry, Erevan State University, Erevan.
1978-1984: Leningrad Technological Institute, Leningrad, Russia. Department of Biotechnology M.Sc. Major: Biotechology


Professional activity
2011- present:Climate and Environmental Research Laboratory (CERL), Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI);
1998 -2011: Radiation and Molecular Biophysics Department, Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI), RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia (Senior Researcher);
1989-1998: Laboratory of Fungal Biochemistry, Komarov Botanical Institute, RAS, St. Petersburg, Russia (Senior Researcher)


Field experience:
2012: November-December – McMurdo station, Antarctica, participation in US WISSARD project as the Russian observer.


Research field
The research activity focuses on methodology of environmental stewardship and exploring of Antarctic subglacial aquatic environments; microbial diversity; molecular phylogeny and DNA survival in extreme polar environments; search for life in extreme environments.


Scientific organisations and expertise:
2004 - 2016: member of the European Geosciences Union;
2009 – present: member of the Russian Microbiological Society;
2009 - present: member of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS);
2011: member of the SCAR Action Group for elaboration of Code of conduct for the exploration and research of subglacial aquatic environments;
2012 – 2015: member of the SCAR expert group "Advancing TecHnologies and ENvironmental stewardship for subglacial exploration in Antarctica (ATHENA)";
2017 – member of the editorial board (executive secretary and coordinator) of the scientific journal ‘Problemy Arktiki i Antarktiki’ (Arctic and Antarctic Research).


Awards:
2013 – Antarctic Service Medal of USA (NSF, Department of the Navy, USA);
2013 – National ecological prize by V.I.Vernadsky (nomination “Science for ecology”) among the participants of the project “Hydrometeorological safeguarding for ecological stewardship and security of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation».


Publications:
Total number of peer-reviewed publications 74 (1984-2018).

Selected publications:

  1. Bulat, S.A., Alekhina, I.A., Blot, M., Petit, J.-R., de Angelis, M., Wagenbach, D., Lipenkov, V.Ya., Vasilyeva, L.P., Wloch, D.M., Raynaud, D. and V.V. Lukin (2004) DNA signature of thermophilic bacteria from the aged accretion ice of Lake Vostok, Antarctica: implications for searching for life in extreme icy environments. Int J Astrobiology 3(1):1-12.
  2. Petit J.R., I. Alekhina and S. Bulat (2005) Lake Vostok, Antarctica: Exploring a Subglacial Lake and Searching for Life in an Extreme Environment. In: Lectures in Astrobiology, Vol. I, Series: Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics, Gargaud, M.; Barbier, B.; Martin, H.; Reisse, J. (Eds.), Springer, ISBN: 3-540-22315-0, p. 227-288.
  3. Lavire Celine, Philippe Normand, Irina Alekhina, Serguey Bulat, Daniel Prieur, Jean-Louis Birrien, Pascale Fournier, Catherine Hanni and Jean-Robert Petit (2006) Presence of Hydrogenophilus thermoluteolus DNA in accretion ice in the subglacial Lake Vostok, Antarctica, assessed using rrs, cbb and hox. Environmental Microbiology 8: 2106-14.
  4. Alekhina I.A., D. Marie, J-R. Petit, V.V. Lukin, V.M. Zubkov and S.A. Bulat (2007) Molecular analysis of bacterial diversity in kerosene-based drilling fluid from the deep ice borehole at Vostok, East Antarctica. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 59: 289-99.
  5. Bulat S.A., I.A. Alekhina, V.Ya. Lipenkov, V.V. Lukin, D. Marie and J.R. Petit (2009) Cell concentrations of microorganisms in glacial and lake ice of the Vostok ice core, East Antarctica. Microbiology 78 (No. 6): 808-810.
  6. Preunkert S., M. Legrand, P. Stricker, S. Bulat, I. Alekhina, J.R. Petit, H. Hoffmann, B. May, and B. Jourdain (2011) Quantification of Dissolved Organic Carbon at very low levels in natural ice samples by a UV induced oxidation method (Manuscript ID: es-2010-023256.R1, Environ Sci and Technologies, 45: 673-678.
  7. Chuvochina Maria S., Dominique Marie, Servanne Chevaillier, Jean-Robert Petit, Philippe Normand, Irina A. Alekhina, Sergey A. Bulat (2011) Microbial community composition in Alpine snow (Mont Blanc) with Saharan dust deposition. Microbes and Environment. 26: 237-247. Published online on June 8, 2011 doi:10.1264/jsme2.ME11116
  8. Alekhina I.A., N.I. Vasiliev, V.Ya. Lipenkov (2012) Environment protection and environmental monitoring issues in the projects of subglacial lakes studies in Antarctica. Ice and Snow. 4(120): 104-114.
  9. Legrand M., S. Preunkert, B. Jourdain, J. Guilhermet, X. Fain, I. Alekhina, and J. R. Petit. (2013). Water-soluble organic carbon in snow and ice deposited at Alpine, Greenland, and Antarctic sites: a critical review of available data and their atmospheric relevance. Clim. Past. 2013. Vol. 9. P. 2357-2399. doi: 10.5194/cp-9-2195-2013
  10. Purcell A.M., Mikucki J.A., Achberger A.M., Alekhina I.A., Barbante C., Christner B.C., et al. and WISSARD Science Team.(2014) Microbial sulfur transformations in sediments from Subglacial Lake Whillans. Frontiers in Microbiology. Vol. 5. P. 594. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00594.
  11. Siegert, M., J. Priscu, and I. Alekhina (2015), The future of Antarctic subglacial lake exploration, Eos, 96, doi:10.1029/2015EO032249. Published on 10 July 2015.
  12. Pearce DA, Alekhina IA, Terauds A. et al. (2016) Aerobiology over Antarctica – a new initiative for atmospheric ecology. Front. Microbiol., Vol 7. No 00016 16 February 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00016.
  13. Siegert MJ, Priscu JC, Alekhina IA, Wadham JL, Lyons WB. (2016) Antarctic subglacial lake exploration: first results and future plans. Phil.Trans.R.Soc.A Vol. 374: No 2059. article ID 20140466. P. 1-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0466.
  14. Karlov D., Marie D., Sumbatyan D., Chuvochina M., Kulichevskaya I., Alekhina I., Bulat S. (2016) Microbial communities within the water column of freshwater Lake Radok, East Antarctica: predominant 16S rDNA phylotypes and bacterial cultures. Polar Biology. doi:10.1007/s00300-016-2008-9.
  15. Alekhina, I., Ekaykin, A., Moskvin, A., Lipenkov, V. (2017) Chemical characteristics of the ice cores obtained after the first unsealing of subglacial Lake Vostok. [White D., Jamieson S., Siegert M. (eds)] Exploration of Subsurface Antarctica: Uncovering Past Changes and Modern Processes. Geological Society. London, 2017. Special Publication 461 (first published on 24 May 2017). 10.1144/SP461.3
  16. Alekhina I.A., Moskvin A.L., Ekaykin A.A., Lipenkov V.Y. Phenol compounds in the borehole 5G, Vostok station, after the unlocking of the subglacial lake. Ice and Snow. 2017;57(3):417-426. (In Russ.) DOI:10.15356/2076-6734-2017-3-417-426