Varun Chopra

As a PhD candidate in the ViBRANT-SEA Advanced ERC project in the Amaral-Zettler Group, my work involves understanding how the microbes that colonize plastics (the plastisphere) may interact with native microbiomes of fish, as well as with the fish themselves. For this project, we are collaborating with Dr. Bart Spee to develop novel gastrointestinal organoids from a popular ecotoxicology marine model; the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). With our model gastrointestinal model, research on native microbiomes, invasive microbiomes, and micro/nano plastics exposure becomes possible without the need for animal sacrifice. I hope to leverage my background in molecular and cellular biology to establish the novel organoid system, while deepening my understanding of marine systems at NIOZ.