Internship The metabolic fingerprint of bacteria-harmful algae interactions
Some marine algae cause harmful blooms and produce toxins that can become dangerous for other life forms including humans. The surrounding microbiome of these algae, consisting of a vast variety of marine bacteria, can play a regulatory role in the timing and extent of the algal bloom. An algal bloom has dramatic effects on the composition of the marine microbial community and the associated microbial functions. Therefore, both the dynamics of the algae and the bacterial abundance influence global biogeochemical cycles and the climate. Studies from the past decade highlighted chemical communication as a key mode of interaction, leaving fingerprints of specific chemicals in both the intra- and extracellular metabolome of the interacting microorganisms.
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Description
In this project, you will shed light on the extracellular metabolome of an ecologically important harmful alga and the bacteria in its microbiome. You will analyze a dataset of an exometabolomics experiment with the aim of identifying unique metabolites produced by the bacteria that impact algal growth and physiology.
Techniques:
- Supervised and unsupervised statistical analyses of metabolomics data
- Molecular networking of metabolomic data
- Metabolite prediction and identification
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Requirements and application
If you are a Master’s student with experience in bioinformatics/chemoinformatics and statistical analysis and interested in working on this exciting and novel research topic with us, please contact us to discuss internship opportunities. The project (preferably min. 6 months) is scheduled to start in April-May 2026.
Dr. Julia Engelmann (julia.engelmann@nioz.nl)
Dr. Guy Schleyer (guy.schleyer@nioz.nl)
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