Environmental OMICS (E-OMICS)

The research group uses a combination of classical microbiological techniques, such as microscopy and microbial cultivation, alongside DNA sequencing and state-of-the-art bioinformatics to study microbes and their role in the environment.

Topics include characterising cryptic microbes native to the deep sea and searching for bacteria that can degrade plastics, such as the intestinal bacteria of polystyrene-eating superworms. Another goal is to develop microbiome transplants, whereby bacteria and fungi from healthy soils are transferred to low-yield soils to improve the health, and thus the yield, of agricultural crops.

The group uses various 'omics' methods to analyse genomes, transcripts, proteins and metabolites, and is particularly interested in promoting microbiological recycling — hence the name of the group: 'MultiOmics and Biorecycling', or 'MOB' for short.