Biophysics of bacteria-phytoplankton interactions
Contact: Riccardo Foffi, Dr. Jonasz Słomka
Perform agent-based simulations of bacteria-phytoplankton systems, investigating how different physical properties (bacterial speed, swimming strategy, phytoplankton shape and size…) modulate uptake and interaction rates. There is flexibility for the student to suggest complementary studies.
Microfluidic investigation of bacterial interactions in the leaf microbiome
Contact: Dr. Stefano Ugolini
The goal is to screen a collection of natural isolates from leaves for potential interactions, monitor their growth patterns in space and time, and correlate them with physical aspects. There is flexibility for the student to suggest complementary experiments using the microfluidic platform.
How often do bacteria exchange genes in aquatic environments?
Contact: Dr. Jonasz Słomka
Completion of the development of a method to measure the frequency of bacterial conjugation events as a function of the conjugation rate and its application in varying conditions.
Exploring the ecological role of bacterial attachment in facilitating bacteria–phytoplankton interaction
Contact: Dr. Mathieu Forget
The goal of this project is to gain a better understanding of the diversity of mechanisms and the ecological roles of bacterial attachment in bacteria–phytoplankton associations. Students will be encouraged to propose new approaches to investigate specific research directions related to the project, based on their interests. Depending on the student’s background and motivation, this experimental approach can be complemented by numerical simulations.
Quantifying the effects of hydropeaking on the dispersal of brown trout larvae (Salmo trutta) in the Poschiavino river (GR)
Contact: Joël Wittmann, Dr. Luiz Silva
The aim of the Master Thesis or Project is to measure the dispersal of brown trout larvae and identify differences between reaches affected by hydropeaking and residual flow reaches.
Numerical modeling of column experiments to study arsenic immobilization in groundwater from Yinchuan Basin, China
Contact: Prof. Joaquin Jimenez-Martinez (jjimenez@ethz.ch)
Perform numerical simulations of arsenic immobilization to represent column experiments and use numerical modeling to investigate different in-situ remediation approaches to mitigate arsenic contamination in groundwater.
Survival of the Slowest: Long-Term Adaptations of Marine Bacteria
Contact: Dr. Johannes Keegstra
Marine bacteria play an important role as gatekeepers of carbon storage in the oceans. Understanding their behavior better will allow us to better understand how oceans can continue to take up CO2. Motility is known to confer an advantage to bacteria in localizing resources, but the high energy demands of motility may reduce survival over longer timescales (weeks). This project will test the hypothesis that non-motile or low-motility bacterial strains are better suited for long-term survival under starvation, shedding light on the trade-offs between motility and endurance.
Oxygen on the Horizon: Unraveling Aerotaxis in Marine Bacteria
Contact: Dr. Johannes Keegstra, Dr. Richard Henshaw
The aim of this project is to study the Marine bacteria play a pivotal role in regulating oceanic oxygen levels and biogeochemical cycles. While bacterial chemotaxis—movement toward chemical gradients—has been widely studied, much less is known about aerotaxis, the directed movement toward oxygen. Yet, receptors involved in aerotaxis are among the most widespread in marine bacteria, highlighting their ecological importance. This project aims to characterize aerotaxis behaviors in marine bacteria, uncovering the molecular mechanisms and ecological implications of their ability to sense and respond to oxygen gradients.
Control and systems development of a real-time microfluidic antibiotic screening and single-cell detection platform
Contact: Dr. Sam Charlton
The student will have access to the components of the system, our image analysis library and mechanical test protocols currently validated in the lab. The student will not be expected to perform any wet-lab work. This project is aimed at students with an interest in designing systems for biotechnology and bio-manufacturing applications.