Our Lab is focusing on questions dealing with how micro-organisms cope with their environments.
The organism I’m using as a model in my research is the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. We are trying to understand why under different nutrient depletion like phosphate, nitrogen or sulfate, although many unique responses can be monitored, in all cases this is accompanied by reduction in the photosynthesis complex I (PSI) activity. Is this phenomena is part of the cell protection mechanism for example?

Single cell microalgae photosynthesis monitoring
Investigating the photosynthetic signatures created by different microalgae. As the major source of primary production in the ocean, algae developed different physiological strategies to acclimate to changes in this environment. In my research, we explore mainly the fluorescence signature the algae create and try to define their spectral behavior in varying conditions.  In collaboration with Dr Eitan Lerner, we use a highly sensitive time-resolved fluorescence confocal microscope to measure the different behaviors, on a single-cell level. We believe that a better understanding of population dynamics can be beneficial to many applications in the industrial world as well as in the environmental monitoring field.

De Novo food production on Mars 
Exploring the possibilities of life outside our planet Earth is a fascinating subject. Cyanothece are a specie of microalgae that can not only fix CO2 through photosynthesis but can also fix N2. In our research, we aim to acclimate Cyanothece to Martian atmosphere – high pCO2, low pN2, and low pressure. Since Cyanobacteria used to roam our planet 3.5 billion years ago when the atmosphere was similar to that of Mars, we will try to awaken their ancestral genes with accelerated evolution techniques, thus helping them thrive again in these conditions. 

Photosynthetic pigments of coral symbionts along a depth gradient 

I always was amazed by the ocean colors and animals. Corals are unique and wonderful animals and are threatened by global change. My project is focused on the photosynthetic pigments of coral symbionts and host pigments. By understanding their pigments and the effect on their PS yield, may help the effort of managing better corals reefs.    

 

Dynamics of Dinoflagellate antenna pigment function.  

Have you ever felt like you were the only one in the world discovering something?  
In my research, I delve into the unique antenna pigments of one of the organisms in the amazing Dinoflagellate family and try to understand it. Through a comprehensive suite of techniques including PCR, protein isolation, pigment isolation, fluorescent spectroscopy, electron microscopy, python analysis and much more my research encompasses the full spectrum of scientific inquiry.