Anitra Ingalls is a biogeochemist who aims to learn what the chemical signatures of microorganisms can tell us about their involvement in feedbacks between the global cycles of carbon and nitrogen and climate in the past, present and future. Ingalls uses the tools of organic chemistry and collaborates broadly with molecular biologists to study the metabolic capabilities of microorganisms and their interactions with each other and their environment. With a mix of fieldwork and lab studies, she works in diverse environments across the globe. She has received considerable support for her research from the National Science Foundation as well as private foundations and industry. She is also the director of the Microbial Metabolomics Research Center (MMRC), established in the Spring of 2013.