He received his B.S. degree from The Evergreen State College and his Ph.D. from The College of William and Mary’s School of Marine Science. Church’s primary research interests focus on linking microbial ecology to biogeochemistry. He is particularly interested in factors regulating spatiotemporal variability in ocean biogeochemistry, with particular emphasis on deciphering the microorganisms catalyzing specific aspects of the nitrogen cycle. In 2015 he was awarded the Yentch-Schindler Early Career Award from the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.