Phelps was recognized for his outstanding contributions in field research that involved collecting and studying the microorganisms deep in the ground. The research was in support of the Office of Health and Environmental Research's Subsurface Science Program. He supported DOE's field sampling efforts at Cerro Negro and other locations.
Currently, Phelps is a staff scientist at ORNL'S Environmental Sciences Division and a research associate professor in University of Tennessee's chemical engineering department.
A native of Monticello, Ind., Phelps received his bachelor's degree at Indiana University in chemistry and biology and his master's in microbiology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In 1984, he was awarded his doctorate in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
He and his wife, Dr. Susan M. Pfiffner, live in Knoxville.
ORNL, one of the Department of Energy's multiprogram national research and development facilities, is managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, which also manages the Oak Ridge K-25 Site and the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant.