Emma BellResearcher

About me

I am an environmental microbiologist and senior researcher at the Baltic Sea Centre and SciLifeLab. My research focuses on the role of microbes (bacteria, archaea, and viruses) in biogeochemical cycles. Key questions relate to how microbial populations gain energy, interact, and adapt to changing conditions.

To answer these questions I use meta-omics to explore gene content and expression, together with chemical data from the environment or physiological data from cultivation, to create a profile of microbially catalysed reactions that contribute to biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem function. This approach can be applied to diverse microbial habitats. In previous research roles at KTH (Sweden), the University of Calgary (Canada), and EPFL (Switzerland), I studied the microbiome of various ecosystems, such as groundwater, sediments, seawater, and hydrocarbon environments.

At the Baltic Sea Centre I focus on the aquatic microbiome and role of microbes in the coastal ecosystem.