Climate change, including warming and increased CO2 concentrations, impacts the fundamental biology of our planet, including the quality of waters and the fate of aquatic organisms. Phytoplankton are single celled photosynthetic organisms that are the base of aquatic food webs. They also produce about half of the oxygen that we breathe. My overarching research interest is to understand how phytoplankton respond to climate change, which is essential for predicting the dynamics of aquatic ecosystems in the future.
I am particularly interested in identifying which phytoplankton species are more likely to adapt over the long term, and how these shifts influence and are influenced by surrounding communities. My work involves adapting phytoplankton to future environmental conditions - such as higher temperatures, elevated CO₂ levels, and altered nutrient availability - through laboratory-scale evolution experiments and molecular biology tools. Then, I link these controlled experiments with field-based observations using outdoor mesocosms.
In parallel, I study cyanobacterial blooms to understand their ecological drivers and toxic potential, and I also explore the use of cyanobacteria as soil fertilizers, testing their effectiveness in combination with different substrates.
I'm also interested in science communication to the general public.
I am particularly interested in identifying which phytoplankton species are more likely to adapt over the long term, and how these shifts influence and are influenced by surrounding communities. My work involves adapting phytoplankton to future environmental conditions - such as higher temperatures, elevated CO₂ levels, and altered nutrient availability - through laboratory-scale evolution experiments and molecular biology tools. Then, I link these controlled experiments with field-based observations using outdoor mesocosms.
In parallel, I study cyanobacterial blooms to understand their ecological drivers and toxic potential, and I also explore the use of cyanobacteria as soil fertilizers, testing their effectiveness in combination with different substrates.
I'm also interested in science communication to the general public.