Tutkimuksen ja opetuksen kuvaus

Cyanobacteria form toxic blooms in freshwater lakes, reservoirs and ponds worldwide. These toxic blooms are linked to the death of wild and domestic animals and pose a serious health hazard in the safe production of drinking water. My research focuses on environmental microbiology and biotechnology of toxic cyanobacteria and the secondary metabolites they produce. Many of these specialized metabolites are toxins or odorous compounds that adversely affect the water quality of fresh water bodies and inland fisheries. I am interested in undestanding how these secondary metabolites are made and their application as pharmaceuticals and biomaterials in the emerging circular bio-economy. My research uses a combination of environmental microbiology, genomics and microbial biotechnology.