The National Science Foundation awards database is an education in itself, containing as it does abstracts of funded projects. This gives you the names and locations of active researchers, as well as some insight into the grants economy upon which research runs.
There is also a database of NIH grants, perhaps more useful in health-related areas but often worth a look.
Here are the results of my searches for 'archaea' and 'archaebacteria' in the NSF database:

WAIS search of nsf-awards

Search of nsf-awards returned the following items for query "archaea".
1. text [a9600860] CAREER: Methy1-Accepting Taxis Proteins in Archaea
Score: 1000, Bytes: 3868
2. text [a9513863] Proteasomes in the Methanogenic Archea
Score: 638, Bytes: 3288
3. text [a9630186] Biosynthesis of Methanopterin
Score: 532, Bytes: 2779
4. text [a9419019] Tungsten and Molybdenum Oxotransferases
Score: 351, Bytes: 4389
5. text [a9600759] Solution NMR Study of the Electronic and Molecular Structures of Hyperthermostable Ferredoxins
Score: 278, Bytes: 4814
6. text [a9314392] RDP: Ribosomal Database Project
Score: 267, Bytes: 3895
7. text [a9420228] Isolation and Properties of Enzymes from the Hyperthermophile Pyrococcus Furiosus
Score: 265, Bytes: 4551
8. text [a9631093] Topology of Archaeal Transcription Pre-Initiation Complex
Score: 261, Bytes: 6904
9. text [a9630488] Structure and Function of the Multienzyme Complex Responsible for Acetate Cleavage in Methanosarcina barkeri
Score: 259, Bytes: 4842
10. text [a9418149] Characterization of a Novel, Stationary-phase Gene in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Score: 259, Bytes: 4678
11. text [a9507552] Moving the Ribosome Database Project (RDP) to a DBMS Foundation
Score: 251, Bytes: 5594
12. text [a9507343] Moving the Ribosome Database Project (RDP) to a DBMS Foundation
Score: 250, Bytes: 5656
13. text [a9600796] Fourth E. Coli and Small Genomes Meeting: to be held September 8-12, 1996, Lake Arrowhead, CA
Score: 230, Bytes: 3533
14. text [a9418197] Sulfur Reduction by the Bacterial Thermophile Thermotoga neapolitana
Score: 228, Bytes: 3931
15. text [a9631006] Nitrate Respiration of the Hyperthermophile Pyrobaculum aerophilum
Score: 228, Bytes: 3806
16.

Search of nsf-awards returned the following items for query "archaebacteria".

1. text [a9418442] Antarctic Marine Archaebacteria; Biological Properties and Ecological Significance
Score: 1000, Bytes: 2898
2. text [a9529804] Ecological Significance of Planktonic Marine Archaebacteria
Score: 970, Bytes: 2910
3. text [a8718216] Biosynthesis and Structure of the Coenzymes in Archaebacteria
Score: 824, Bytes: 2248
4. text [a9014052] Membranes of Archaebacteria and Acidophilic Thiobacilli
Score: 793, Bytes: 3656
5. text [a8910103] Evaluation of the Novel Ether Lipids of Archaebacteria for Use in Ultrathin Membrane Technologies: Research Initiation Award
Score: 786, Bytes: 2107
6. text [a9123889] Novel Marine Archaebacteria: Potential Contribution to Midwater Biomass and Activity
Score: 776, Bytes: 2851
7. text [a9106456] Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics of Formate Utilization in Methanogenic Archaebacteria
Score: 726, Bytes: 2566
8. text [a9596154] Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics of Formate Utilization in Methanogenic Archaebacteria
Score: 726, Bytes: 2553
9. text [a9011583] Proteases from Hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria: Physiolo- gical, Genetic, Biochemical and Engineering Studies
Score: 664, Bytes: 1646
10. text [a9396025] Proteases from Hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria: Physiolo- gical, Genetic, Biochemical and Engineering Studies
Score: 662, Bytes: 1640
11. text [a8813608] Hyperthermophilic Archaebacteria: Metabolic and Engineering Studies
Score: 626, Bytes: 2227
12. text [a9513669] Structure-Function Relationship of Thermoacidophilic Archaebacterial Membranes
Score: 414, Bytes: 2543
13. text [a9600759] Solution NMR Study of the Electronic and Molecular Structures of Hyperthermostable Ferredoxins
Score: 329, Bytes: 4814
14. text [a9420228] Isolation and Properties of Enzymes from the Hyperthermophile Pyrococcus Furiosus
Score: 320, Bytes: 4551
15. text [a9401110] Survey of Prokaryotic Marine Plankton
Score: 311, Bytes: 3360
16. text [a9311538] Biosynthesis of 7-Mercaptoheptanylthreonine-phosphate and the Methyl Reducing Factor in Mehtanogenic Bacteria
Score: 306, Bytes: 3035
17. text [a8904511] Biosynthesis Studies of Branched-Chain Amino Acids by Methanogenic Bacteria
Score: 305, Bytes: 2912
18. text [a8723072] Laboratory and Field Studies on the Cycling of Archae- bacterial Lipids in the Orca Basin, an Anoxic Hypersaline Basin in the Gulf of Mexico
Score: 303, Bytes: 2788
19. text [a9007365] Development of an expression for Halobacterium species
Score: 302, Bytes: 1199
20. text [a9017089] IV International Conference on Retinal Proteins - July 22-28, 1990, Santa Cruz, CA
Score: 301, Bytes: 2962
21. text [a9513863] Proteasomes in the Methanogenic Archea
Score: 300, Bytes: 3288
22. text [a9219854] Retinylidene Phototransducers in a Eukaryotic Model System
Score: 286, Bytes: 4254
23. text [a9529139] SGER: Transformation of Haloalkaliphilic Archaeobacteria
Score: 281, Bytes: 1582
24. text [a9023617] FAW: Osmoregulation in Methanogens
Score: 279, Bytes: 1541
25. text [a9117250] Methyl Group Reduction to Methane
Score: 267, Bytes: 1941
26. text [a9013276] The F430 Cofactor of S-Methyl Coenzyme M Reductase
Score: 261, Bytes: 1990
27. text [a9108104] Structure, Function, and Genetics of Ribosomal Components
Score: 255, Bytes: 2243
28. text [a9105403] Sulfur Reduction in Eubacterial Thermophile Thermotogo neapolitana
Score: 253, Bytes: 2469
29. text [a8808838] Engineering Research Equipment Grant: Bacterial Growth and Metabolism at or Above 100 Degrees C
Score: 252, Bytes: 2568
30. text [a9630488] Structure and Function of the Multienzyme Complex Responsible for Acetate Cleavage in Methanosarcina barkeri
Score: 221, Bytes: 4842
31.