Advanced courses
• Plants in Environmental Treatment (period 4) BL7038
• Green Biotechnology (period 2) BL7051
• Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (period 3) BL8020
• Marine Microbial Ecology: from Genomes to Biomes (period 2) BL7057
Direction in Biology MSc programme: Stockholm University Plant Ecophysiology Research (SUPER)
Research focus:
Leader of the Seagrass Ecology & Physiology Research Group, with a main focus on marine plants, their photosynthesis, carbon sequestration (Blue Carbon), Green House Gas emissions, and ecosystem services in both tropical and temperate environments, and how they are affected by environmental change such as pollution and ocean acidification.
Methodology:
Various techniques for measuring in situ productivity in coastal waters, such as different Pulse Amplitude Modulated chlorophyll fluorescence methods. Sensors for e.g. oxygen, pH light etc. Also analyses of seawater chemistry and emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CH4 and N2O.
Research focus:
Planktonic symbioses between prokaryotic bacteria and eukaryotic algae; Diversity, distribution and activity of free-living and symbiotic N2 fixing cyanobacteria
Photo physiology and cell biology of cyanobacteria: marine and brackish water strains.
Biogeochemistry of Marine Carbon and Nitrogen cycles.
Methodology:
Stable isotope probing and nanoSIMS; mass spectrometry; gene expression and genome biology; single cell method development; heterologous expression; quantitative PCR assays; algae cultivation and isolation; phylogenetic analysis for co-evolution studies.
Research focus:
Leader of the Plant metal group, which focuses on:
Phytoremediation and Plant toxicology/ecotoxicology
Remediation of heavy metals, arsenic, PFAS, PCB etc.
Heavy metal and arsenic content in food crops
Silicon as plant nutrient element.
Silica decreases heavy metals in plants.
Silica nanoparticle uptake into plants
Methodology:
Analysis of element and element speciation, plant uptake in to tissue and on the cellular level, soil-plant interaction studies e.g. root exudate with rhizoboxes, rhizosphere concentration of elements and various soil fractions, plant-water interactions.
Research focus:
Systems biology (nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbioses)
Developmental biology (nodule development in different symbiotic systems)
Evolution (of root nodule symbioses)
Methodology:
Molecular biology, genetic engineering (hairy root transformation), cytology (advanced imagine), metabolism (enzyme activities and metabolite analyses), molecular phylogeny, microbiology
Research focus:
Cell biology (plant cytoskeleton and organelles structure and function during cell function and differentiation)
Developmental biology (development of plant vascular system in response to endogenous and environmental factors)
Omics and system biology (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, fluxomics, interactomics during plant cell differentiation)
Methodology:
Advanced imaging (confocal, microspectroscopy), genetic engineering (CRISPR/Cas9, insertional mutagenesis, genetic complementation and transgenesis), protein biochemistry (proteomics, enzymatic assay, protein complexes), in vitro plant and cell culture, metabolism (LC/MS based analysis of metabolites, pulse chase tracking, flux analysis)
Research focus:
The main research focuses on source, function, and cumulative effects of the neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). Marine biology, food web, phytoplankton interactions.
Methodology:
The methodology used is foremost liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based metabolomics. Sensors for light, pH, etc. Analyses of seawater chemistry. Imaging.
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