Please find the links here to the various educational programmes that research group Geobiology is involved in:
Master and individual projects:
New culturing approaches for cable bacteria
- with Prof. Dr. Ir. Filip Meysman and Dr. Ir. Jeanine Geelhoed
Very recently, long filamentous so-called “cable bacteria” have been discovered in marine sediments that are able to generate and mediate the transport of electrons across centimeter-scale distances (Meysman, 2018). Cable bacteria have evolved a unique conductive protein machinery to efficiently transport electrons across centimetre-scale distances. Currents are guided through a network of fibres embedded in the cell envelope that connect all cells. These protein fibres display an extraordinary conductivity for a biological material (Meysman et al., 2019), and thus have a high potential for biotechnological applications.
However, the structures of these highly conductive fibers remain enigmatic. An important bottleneck to the resolution of the conduction mechanism in cable bacteria is their complex, redox-gradient lifestyle, which hampers biomass collection and precludes the application of well-established microbiological tools. To address this challenge, we have developed cable bacteria cultivation approaches in our laboratory.
In this project, the student will develop new cultivation approaches for more controlled and reproducible cultivation of cable bacteria using defined substrates. Research activities will involve growth incubations, microsensor measurements of sulfide, O2, pH, and geochemical analyses. Furthermore, the abundance of cable bacteria and the composition of the microbial community will be analyzed using molecular methods (DNA extraction, qPCR, amplicon library preparation and analysis). The student will get experience with the accompanied bioinformatic analyses.
We offer: The possibility to perform an MSc project in an international research group performing frontline research on a fascinating and new topic in microbial biotechnology.
Keywords: microbial electricity, cable bacteria, cultivation, microbial community composition.
Requirements: A motivated MSc student with a strong background in molecular biology and a keen interest in microbial ecology.
More info: www.microbial-electricity.eu
Highly conductive protein structures in cable bacteria
- with Prof. Dr. Ir. Filip Meysman and Dr. Ir. Jeanine Geelhoed
Very recently, long filamentous so-called “cable bacteria” have been discovered in marine sediments that are able to generate and mediate the transport of electrons across centimeter-scale distances. Cable bacteria have evolved a unique conductive protein machinery to efficiently transport electrons across centimetre-scale distances. Currents are guided through a network of fibres embedded in the cell envelope that connect all cells. These protein fibres display an extraordinary conductivity for a biological material (Boschker et al., 2021; Meysman et al., 2019), and thus have a high potential for biotechnological applications.
However the structures of these highly conductive fibers remain enigmatic. An important bottleneck to the resolution of the conduction mechanism in cable bacteria is their complex, redox-gradient lifestyle, which hampers biomass collection and precludes the application of well-established microbiological tools. To address this challenge, we have developed cable bacteria cultivation and single-filament approaches.
In this project, the student will apply various newly developed wet lab extraction and isolation approaches (e.g. detergents, enzymatic extractions) to extract fibril material from the cell envelope of cable bacteria. The resulting fibril material will be analyzed with a combination of high resolution microscopy (TEM) and spectroscopy (Raman microscopy). Research activities will involve cable bacteria cultivation, single filament preparation, cell envelope extraction, microscopy (TEM, Raman).
We offer: The possibility to perform an MSc project in an international research group performing frontline research on a fascinating and new topic in microbial biotechnology .
Keywords: microbial electricity, cable bacteria, selective extraction, TEM, Raman microscopy
Requirements: A motivated MSc student with a strong background in molecular biology and a keen interest in microscopy.
More info: www.microbial-electricity.eu
Enhanced pyritization as a novel approach to ocean alkalinization
- with Prof. Dr. Ir. Filip Meysman and Dr. Gunter Flipkens and Tom Huysmans
To prevent average global temperatures from exceeding 1.5 to 2 °C, conventional mitigation alone will not be sufficient. Therefore, Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies will be required in combination with strong emission reductions. The ocean is essential for regulation Earth’s climate and has absorbed about 25% of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions since 1850. The CO2 storage capacity of the ocean in determined by its alkalinity (AT¬). One of the most promising CDR technologies aims to increase the natural CO2 uptake capacity of the oceans by increasing the AT. The technique is called Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement and has the potential to sequester Gigatonnes of CO¬2 while at the same time alleviating ocean acidification. So far, most research has focused on adding AT through enhanced dissolution of silicates and carbonates.
In the Msc Thesis project we will investigate a novel approach for OAE named enhanced pyritization. In anoxic marine sediment, sulfate reduction is the main process of organic matter remineralization. During this process, AT is generated. If the generated sulfide is reoxidized in water column, the AT consumed. But when the generated sulfide reacts with iron in the sediment and forms pyrite, reoxidation is prevented and there is a net production of AT.
What you will do: You will perform microcosm incubations where you will add iron (hyrd)oxide to sulfidic sediment and measure benthic fluxes over time. At the end of the experiment, you will perform porewater analysis and a geochemical analysis of the solid phase sediment.
What we offer: The possibility to perform an MSc project in an international research group performing frontline research on a fascinating and new scientific topic in the battle against climate change.