Department of Biology

Research Groups

Discover the research groups in the Section for Microbiology exploring soil microbes, biofilms and immune interactions to phage biology and stress response.

Microbiomics

We explore microbial interactions to uncover the mechanisms behind community dynamics and their impact on health, agriculture, and biotechnology.

Multispecies biofilms

We study how bacteria interact in multispecies biofilms to understand their function, evolution, and impact in nature, medicine, and industry - using microbiology, biofilm models, and advanced imaging.

Social Systems Microbiology

We dive deep into the molecular biology and evolution of how bacteria interact, focusing on the intriguing dynamics of conflict, manipulation, sharing, and dependencies among bacteria, plasmids, and phages.

Soil Microbiology

We study soil microbes to understand their role in greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and plant productivity across agricultural, Arctic, and dryland ecosystems.

Microbial Immunity Laboratory

We study the arms race between prokaryotes and their viruses, using model systems like the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus and its invading elements, including viruses and plasmids.

Bac-SMART

We study bacterial stress response pathways and their roles in mediating tolerance and resistance to both antibiotics and phages.

Phage Biology & Bacterial Immunity

We study the diversity, evolution, and function of bacterial immune systems, using computational and experimental approaches to understand how bacteria defend themselves from viruses (phages).