Eric Hegg is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the Associate Dean for Budget, Planning, Research and Administration in the College of Natural Science. Research in the Hegg lab focuses on elucidating how microbes perform environmentally important reactions. In particular, they are studying various metalloenzymes critical to the global nitrogen cycle, including enzymes that convert the environmental contaminant nitrite into ammonia as well as enzymes that produce the potent greenhouse gas N2O. Ultimately they are interested in applying the knowledge gained from these studies to address real-world problems. To accomplish these goals, the Hegg lab utilizes a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques. Professor Hegg earned his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin and was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota. He was an Assistant and Associate Professor at the University of Utah before joining the faculty at Michigan State University in 2006.