Carl Bauer received a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Minnesota in 1978 and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana in 1986. He joined the faculty at Indiana University in 1988 and became the Clyde Culbertson Professor of Biology in 1997 and Class of '54 Endowed Professor in 2007.
His main research efforts focus on evolutionary aspects of photosynthesis by performing genetic and molecular biology investigations of photosynthesis in bacteria. These investigations gave rise to the first detailed understanding of how a photosynthetic organism controls photosynthesis gene expression in response to alterations in light intensity and oxygen tension. Additional studies have provided the first genetic characterization of genes that are involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis in bacteria, algae and plants. These studies have been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Bauer has been a recipient of the Marcus Rhoades Outstanding Young Faculty Award, NIH Research Career Development Award and the American Society for Photobiology Young Investigator Award. He is also a member of several professional organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society for Microbiology, Genetics Society of America, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and American Society for Photobiology.
Bauer received the IU Bicentennial Medal in September 2020 in recognition of his distinguished contributions to Indiana University.
