Lisa Y. Stein
- University of Alberta
- Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences
- Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Microbiology
Lisa Stein's research focuses on the physiology, genomics, and ecology of nitrification, denitrification, and single carbon metabolism. Her work aims to understand the influence of microbial metabolism on greenhouse gas production. Applied work is aimed at industrialization of microorganisms using single-carbon feedstocks and increasing nitrogen use efficiency in crops by inhibiting nitrification
Find more information here and here.
Thulani Makhalanyane
- Stellenbosch University
- Professor in the Department of Microbiology The School for Data Science and Computational Thinking
- Microbial Ecology
Dr. Makhalanyane's research focuses on understanding the ecology of microbial communities in extreme environments. His studies investigate soil microbial communities in the Antarctic Dry Valleys, the Namib Desert, and South African regions such as the Southern Ocean. His work aims to uncover how these microbial communities adapt and thrive in harsh conditions.
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Raquel Piexoto
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
- Associate Professor, Marine Science
- Marine Science, Bioscience, Environmental Science and Engineering
Dr. Peixoto's research focuses on manipulating coral-associated microorganisms, known as Beneficial Microorganisms for Corals (BMCs), to enhance coral resilience and resistance to environmental threats. Her pioneering work has established protocols and demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach, advancing marine microbiology and symbiotic interactions. As the founder and chair of the Beneficial Microbes for Marine Organisms network (BMMO), she aims to promote an international platform to convert basic knowledge into practical solutions for marine ecosystem protection, restoration, and sustainable development.
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Joanna Salles
- University of Groningen
- Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Ecology/Microbiology
Dr. Salles' research explores the ecology and evolution of microbial communities, focusing on both free-living and host-associated microbiomes. Her work aims to understand how microbiomes form and the processes and mechanisms that drive microbial diversity. Additionally, she investigates the consequences of microbial diversity on the functioning of environments, whether they be hosts or soils. Her research spans various environments and hosts, including agricultural soil, salt marshes, plants, arthropods, birds, mice, and humans. Dr. Salles’ approach combines experimental procedures, modeling, microbiological and molecular techniques, metagenomics, and bioinformatics to address these topics.
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Vivian Helena Pellizari
- Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
- Associate Professor at the Oceanographic Institute at USP
- Microbiology with a focus on Marine Microbiology and Microbial Ecology
Dr. Pellizari's research focuses on 1) Biodiversity and taxonomy of marine prokaryotes; 2) Microbial biogeography; 3) Extremophiles; 4) Deep Sea; 5) Response of microbial communities to environmental changes.
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Shady A. Amin
- NYU Abu Dhabi
- Marine Microbial Ecology, oceanographer/marine chemist (department was not directly listed on website)
- Chemical Ecology, Biological Oceanography, Marine Biology, Symbiosis
Prof. Amin is a biological oceanographer and marine chemist who studies the role of microbiomes in the adaptation and evolution of marine hosts such as microalgae, corals, and cetaceans. His research focuses on the critical metabolite exchanges between these hosts and their microbiomes, which influence host physiology, environmental adaptation, and ecosystem transformation. These interactions can also contribute to harmful algal blooms and animal diseases. To investigate these relationships, his lab employs genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, fieldwork, and various microbiological and molecular techniques. Additionally, Prof. Amin is part of a consortium at NYU Abu Dhabi working to establish an environmental monitoring system along the Abu Dhabi coast to predict harmful algal blooms and other environmental phenomena.
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Chioma B. Chikere
- University of Port Harcourt
- Department of Microbiology, and Director of Entrepreneurial Centre
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology
Dr. Chikere’s research specializes in Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, focusing on bioremediation of hydrocarbon-polluted ecosystems and biomining for hydrocarbon degradative genes using advanced sequencing techniques. She emphasizes implementing UN Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063 in her work, aiming to eradicate poverty, ensure food security, provide access to high-quality education, promote diversity and inclusivity in STEM, and address climate change impacts. Dr.Chikere’s research also involves integrated waste management, circular economy, and global collaborations to mitigate the negative effects of human activities on the environment.
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Fengping Wang
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- School of Oceanography
- Deep Biosphere, Microbial Geochemical Cycles
In the past five years, she has led several significant research projects. These include a comparative study on microbial carbon metabolism in marine sediment environments (2.72 million CNY, 2023-2027), a study on the geochemical element cycle mediated by deep-sea benthic organisms (2 million CNY, 2019-2021), research on acquiring and evaluating hard-to-culture archaeal resources in the deep sea (2.6 million CNY, 2018-2020), an investigation into the archaeal-mediated carbon cycle mechanism in marine sediments (3.2 million CNY, 2018-2021), and a study on microbial-mediated iron release in the methanogenic zone of deep-sea sediments (1.8 million CNY, 2017-2019). Additionally, she has participated in several research expeditions focused on gas hydrates, deep-sea ecosystems, and mid-ocean ridges, utilizing various research vessels and submersibles to explore these environments.
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Ann Gregory
- University of Calgary
- Assistant Professor Faculty of Science , Department of Biological Sciences
- Viromics, Viral Ecology & Evolution, Viral Discovery, Synthetic Ecology
Dr. Gregory began her research career focusing on viral community structure and function in the global oceans and has since expanded her studies to include viral communities across the human body. After earning her PhD from Ohio State University in December 2018 and completing an EMBO postdoctoral fellowship at KU Leuven in Belgium, she worked as a computational biologist in the biotech industry at Aera Therapeutics. In January 2024, Dr. Gregory returned to academia to establish the Integrative Viromics Lab at the University of Calgary. Her lab is dedicated to studying viral communities across various ecosystems, with a particular emphasis on the human virome.
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Vera Costa
- The Red Sea Development Company
- Senior Research Permit Specialist
Dr. Costa leverages her scientific background and extensive experience in research administration to perform high-level managerial work in various institutional departments that deal with research-related subjects. She focuses on supporting R&D through the efficient management of administrative, financial, and compliance operations.
For more information here.
Adouké Nadège Agbodjato
- President of the NGO la Voix des Femmes Rurales et des Jeunes
- Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- Researcher in Soil Microbiology and Plant Biotechnology
Dr. Nadège Adoukè Agbodjato, a Beninese researcher, specializes in Soil Microbiology and Plant Biotechnology. As the President of the NGO la Voix des Femmes Rurales et des Jeunes (VoFeRuJ), she focuses on plant-soil-microorganism interactions and the production of agricultural biostimulants using soil microorganisms and chitosan from crustacean exoskeletons. Her research aims to promote sustainable agriculture in Africa by developing innovative solutions to enhance agricultural productivity while empowering rural communities, especially women and youth. She has developed biofertilizers to improve agricultural productivity sustainably and has authored over thirty scientific publications. Additionally, her NGO promotes legume production, sustainable agriculture, and the well-being and empowerment of rural communities. Her scientific interests include Soil Microbiology, Plant Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Sustainable Agriculture, Food Safety, Molecular Biology, and Bioinformatics.
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Paula Dalcin Martins
- University of Groningen
- Faculty of Science and engineering
- biogeochemical cycles, environmental microbiology, microbial community ecology
Dr. Dalcin Martins employs both experimental and computational methods, including extensive use of meta-omics and biogeochemistry, to gain a mechanistic and quantitative understanding of biogeochemical cycles and the key viral and microbial players in ecosystems. Her research aims to enhance the prediction of ecosystem responses to environmental changes.
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Yinzhao Wang
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology
- Microbial ecological processes under extreme conditions
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