Birgitta Bergman
About me
Birgitta Bergman, received her Ph.D. exam from Uppsala University in 1977 and became full professor 1990 in plant physiology at Department of Botany (presently Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences) at Stockholm University. She was elected member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1996 where she served as chair person for the Crafoord Prize in Biosciences, and has regularly functioned as evaluator of research within this and other organizations/foundations, such as the Swedish Research Council (VR), MISTRA, STINT and SIDA/SAREC.
Awards: She has been evaluated as ‘outstanding scientist’ by the Swedish Research Council (2003) and is the recipient of awards for excellence in science: The Björkén Award (2002, Uppsala University) and The Linnéus Awards (1995, Academy of Sciences, Lund University).
Supervision, opponent etc: She has supervised 25 students to their doctoral exam and hosted 20 post-doctoral fellows. She has participated in international research collaborations (from USA, India, China, Tanzania, Chile, Europe, Mexico) and has hosted numerous visiting scientists (from students to post doctors and professors). She has acted ‘opponent’ on 7 dissertations (in Sweden and abroad) and been member of evaluation committees during PhD defences ~30 times; and chaired the European Science Foundation Program on cyanobacteria (CYANOFIX; 1998-2003). She has been invited 3-4 times annually as speaker at national and international conferences, and has organized five international meetings.
Research: She is the author of >200 research articles (h-index 48; i10-index 150) and has a more than 40-year long experience of laboratory and field research deciphering the physiology as well as interactive and evolutionary aspects of photoautotrophic cyanobacteria including genome sequencing, with focus on those living in symbiosis with eukaryotic hosts/plants (lichens, Gunnera, Azolla); and explored free-living cyanobacteria in tropical oceans, e.g. the Indian Ocean and the Baltic Sea: their molecular biology and ecophysiology. In a collaboration with researchers at Karolinska Hospital/Institute, various aspects of the cyanobacterial toxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) are explored, as the toxin represents a neurodegenerative agent and thereby a potential threat to human health.
In 2011 a high-through-put environmental metagenomics and meta-transcriptomics program was initiated in a collaboration with JC Venter Institute (USA) (the MiMeBS program), funded by Baltic Sea 2020 and O. Engkvist Foundation. The aim is to inventory the ‘hidden’ microbial world in the Baltic Sea by exploring microbial populations (viruses, bacteria, archaea to picoeukaryotes) in a qualitative and quantitative way, to get a holistic understanding of their biodiversity, cell biology and significance in a life supporting context, e.g. in biogeochemical cycles of key-nutrients, in this unique water body. The MiMeBS program is primarily performed at Science for Life Laboratory (Solna).
External funding agencies: NFR/VR, SJFR/FORMAS, EU, MISTRA, STINT, SAREC, KVA, Swedish Energy Agency, Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Tryggers, ESF, Baltic Sea 2020 and O. Engkvist Foundation, Science for Life Laboratory.