Following graduation, Takacs-Vesbach took a three-year postdoctoral position with Dr. Anna-Louise Reysenbach at
Portland State University where she conducted research on the
thermophiles of Yellowstone National Park. In 2002, Takacs-Vesbach joined the faculty of the Department of Biology at the
University of New Mexico, awarded tenure in 2009 and promoted to full Professor in 2015. Takacs-Vesbach's contributions to Antarctic science have been in the field of microbial ecology. Until her doctoral research on bacterioplankton biomass and productivity in the lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, bacterioplankton were considered unimportant. She used a forward difference model to show that not only are bacteria significant to the biomass of these lakes, but that substantial predation occurs every season to reduce bacterial biomass by up to 88% at the height of the growing season. Further work by Takacs-Vesbach in this system included estimates of bacterioplankton organic carbon demand and respiration rates. Takacs-Vesbach also contributed to the description of the first microbiological study of sub-glacial
Lake Vostok. Along with her colleagues, Takacs-Vesbach reported the presence and activity of bacteria associated with the accretion ice >4 km below the surface of the Antarctic polar plateau. This provided evidence that life may exist in inhospitable settings, which opened the possibility that other planetary bodies, such as
Europa or
Enceladus, may harbor life today. It is only in the past few years that Lake Vostok and other similar subglacial lakes finally have been sampled, confirming the initial findings of Takacs-Vesbach and her colleagues that life can exist in the deep icy subsurface of Antarctica. Takacs-Vesbach’s Antarctic research focuses on the microbial diversity across various aquatic and soil habitats of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Her work revealed microbial diversity in this system can be as high as temperate and tropical soils, and although activity is low, it is the highest reported activity per g of
soil carbon. Takacs-Vesbach is interested in determining the spatial and temporal variations of microbial diversity, distribution, and function across all major McMurdo Dry Valley habitats, including
cryoconites, streams, lakes, and soils. Alongside teaching as a professor in the Department of Biology, Takacs-Vesbach has also helped lead the Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) program at the
University of New Mexico. This program seeks to expose underrepresented students to the biomedical field through special research training to prepare them for future careers in biomedicine. Takacs-Vesbach was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on the Development of a Strategic Vision for the
U.S. Antarctic Program and a member of the U.S. National Committee for the
International Polar Year. == Awards and honors ==