Project Description:
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.
Join us to shed light on how marine bacteria navigate oxygen landscapes, shaping their survival and the health of our oceans!
Your work will focus on one of the following topics:
- Behavioral Characterization: Use microfluidics and microscopy to quantify aerotactic responses to oxygen gradients in various marine bacterial strains.
- Receptor Profiling: Investigate the distribution and diversity of aerotaxis receptors across marine bacterial genomes.
- Environmental Contexts: Assess aerotaxis responses under varying oxygen conditions to mimic natural marine microenvironments, such as oxygen minimum zones or particle-associated habitats.
- Ecological Implications: Explore the role of aerotaxis in marine microbial ecology and its potential impact on nutrient cycling and oxygen dynamics.
Skills Acquired:
- Advanced microscopy and image analysis for tracking bacterial motility.
- Experimental design using microfluidic devices to simulate environmental gradients.
- Molecular and genomic approaches to link receptor diversity with aerotaxis behaviors.
- Analytical tools to interpret motility and ecological relevance.
Candidate Background:
We are looking for a motivated student with a background in environmental sciences or engineering, biophysics, microbiology, molecular biology, or marine biology. Curiosity about microbial behavior is essential, experience with the above mentioned techniques is not.
Supervisors and Environment:
This project will take place in a dynamic research environment dedicated to marine microbial ecology, offering access to cutting-edge experimental tools and interdisciplinary collaboration.
For more information please contact:
Dr. Johannes Keegstra, keegstra@ifu.baug.ethz.ch and/or Dr. Richard Henshaw, henshaw@ifu.baug.ethz.ch