Principal Investigator: Prof. Cecile Gubry-Rangin
(Royal Society University Research Fellow)
c.rangin@abdn.ac.uk
I enjoy working on ecology and evolution of microbes because of the nice mix of theory, experimental molecular and genomic work and diverse field work it involves! In brief, I love my work and also enjoy having a good balance with personal life (family and outdoors for me)!
Dr Paul Sheridan
(NERC-funded postdoc)
(PIs: Tom William, Cecile Gubry-Rangin)
p.sheridan@abdn.ac.uk
I am a microbial genomics Research Fellow. My research involves developing phylogenetic and comparative genomic methods to study evolution and niche adaptation, particularly in the thaumarchaeotal phylum, and the recovery of novel genome sequences from ultra-deep soil metagenomics.
Dr Lisa Cole
(Daphne Jackson-funded postdoc)
(PIs: Ashish Malik, Justin Travis, Cecile Gubry-Rangin)
lisa.cole@abdn.ac.uk
I am a Daphne Jackson Trust Research Fellow interested in how global change impacts upon soil biodiversity and function. My current research aims to understand how agricultural practices affect the soil microbiome and soil's ability to sequester carbon. My research highlights how soil management could help mitigate climate change and promote more sustainable and productive agriculture.
Dr Leonel Herrera-Alsina
(NERC-funded postdoc)
(PIs: Justin Travis, Greta Bocedi, Lesley Lancaster, Cecile Gubry-Rangin)
leonel.herreraalsina@abdn.ac.uk
I focus on how species diversity is spread across space and time. Rates of diversification and species coexistence are regulated by the distribution of standing diversity and by geographic constraints that vary over time. To understand the interactions of these factors, I develop dynamic models of diversification that provide theoretical predictions or are applied to empirical datasets
Dr Nasrollah Sepehrnia
(Marie Skłodowska-Curie-funded postdoc)
(PIs: Paul Hallett, Yukie Tanino, Cecile Gubry-Rangin)
nasrollah.sepehrnia@abdn.ac.uk
I am a soil physicist with research spanning into microbiology. The focus of my research has been on bacterial transport in soil, using a range of approaches and modelling to explore the impacts of water repellency.
My research focuses on ammonia-oxidising archaea inhabiting acidic soils . The fundamental aims of my PhD are to isolate and characterise AOA from acidic soils to determine the ecological, physiological and evolutionary adaptations controlling their diversity.
Miss Rachel Callaghan
(Royal Society-funded PhD student)
(PIs: Cecile Gubry-Rangin, Tom Vogwill)
r.callaghan.20@abdn.ac.uk
With a background in Chemistry and Biochemistry, I have just embarked on a PhD project focused on studying Thaumarchaeota using comparative genomics and experimental evolution.
Mr Dylan Bodington
(Royal Society- funded Research Assistant)
dylan.bodington@abdn.ac.uk
My main interest is in extremophiles, which incidentally allow me to visit extreme environments, preferably involving skis and ropes. My current focus is on using genomic analysis to explore the microbiome of sponge species.
Miss Anastasia Leligdowicz
(EastBio DTP-funded PhD student)
(PI: Marius Wenzel, Cecile Gubry-Rangin)
a.leligdowicz.20@abdn.ac.uk
I am a graduate from Queen Mary University of London, with a BSc Honours in Biology. In my PhD, I am using epigenetics (changes in gene expression) and functional genomics (assigning function to genes) to understand the learning and memory of a single-celled brainless blob, the slime mould Physarum polycephalum.
Mr David Coutts
(University of Aberdeen graduate technician)
david.coutts@abdn.ac.uk
I am technician inthe laboratory and I take care of daily chores, while providing support to the group. I also maintain and preserve our collection of nitrifying bacteria and archaea.
Dr Yiyu (Angus) Meng
(NERC-funded technician)
yiyu.meng@abdn.ac.uk
The ongoing advance in sequencing technologies has expanded our understanding of the diversity and evolution of Archaea, including for thaumarchaeotal 1.1c that are ubiquitous in acidic soils. I am working towards obtaining novel genomic diversity within this group as well as applying genome-informed cultivation strategies to enrich and cultivate those Thaumarchaeota.
Miss Zuzanna Bednarska
(University of Aberdeen undergraduate student)
z.bednarska.18@abdn.ac.uk
I am а BSc in Biology student, with a great interest in microbial evolutionary biology. I am working on the influence of latitudinal gradient on bacterial adaptation.