Depending on who is asking, he alternately describes himself as a 'biological oceanographer,' 'marine microbiologist,' 'microbial ecologist,' 'molecular ecologist,' 'bioinformatician,' or 'astrobiologist.' Eric is involved in several projects linking the diversity and distribution of microorganisms with their evolutionary histories as seen through the lens of genomics. With a particular interest in extreme environments, Eric has traveled north of the Arctic Circle in six different countries, including on a 550-kilometer ski traverse of the Greenland ice sheet in 2014. This is his first time on the Healy.