Rate My Professor Tim McDermott

Tim McDermott, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences at Montana State University, is a leading figure in Agricultural and Veterinary Science, specializing in soil and environmental microbiology. He earned his B.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1982, M.S. in Soil Science in 1985, and Ph.D. in Soil Science/Soil Microbiology in 1989 from the University of Minnesota. Joining Montana State University, McDermott advanced through the ranks to full Professor, contributing over three decades to microbial ecology research. His academic career encompasses teaching, mentoring undergraduates—who he guided to earn the Provost’s Award for Undergraduate Research/Creativity Mentoring in 2008—and groundbreaking investigations into extreme environments.

McDermott's research focuses on microbe-metalloid interactions involving arsenic, selenium, and antimony; microbial ecophysiology and population genetics in geothermal habitats; and Yellowstone Lake picoplankton structure and function. His decade-long study of methane dynamics in Yellowstone Lake revealed a novel biological process for aerobic methane production, distinct from traditional methanogenic pathways and estimated to account for 15% of global biological methane emissions. Additionally, his work on arsenic biochemistry in microorganisms ranks among the most cited internationally over the past two decades. Key publications include "Aerobic bacterial methane synthesis" (2021), "Introducing the ArsR-Regulated Arsenic Stimulon" (2021), "The gut microbiome is required for full protection against acute arsenic toxicity in mouse models" (2018), "Methylphosphonate Metabolism by Pseudomonas sp. Populations Contributes to the Methane Oversaturation Paradox in an Oxic Freshwater Lake" (2017), and "Arsenite oxidation regulator AioR regulates bacterial chemotaxis towards arsenite in Agrobacterium tumefaciens GW4" (2017). With over 9,400 citations, his contributions have profoundly influenced environmental microbiology. In 2023, McDermott received the Charles and Nora L. Wiley Award for Meritorious Research and Creativity from Montana State University for these achievements.