Member

Research Interests

Prof. Christine Raines
(University of Essex)

Main research interests include:

• Carbon fixation in transgenic tobacco plants
• The role of chloroplast protein CP12 in the regulation of carbon fluxes
• Carbon metabolism in the mechanism controlling of stomatal responses
• The high impact of CO₂ growth on photosynthesis and carbohydrate accumulation

Prof. Richard Geider    (University of Essex)

Main research interest includes evaluating the relative importance of genetic adaptation, physiological acclimation and physiological regulation of algal photosynthesis to the success of phytoplankton taxa in the sea and:

• Marine primary productivity
• Algal photosynthesis
• Modelling phytoplankton growth
• Optical properties of phytoplankton

Dr Stéphane Lefebvre
(University of Essex)

• Metabolism pathways controlling primary CO2 assimilation in plants
• Plant growth and carbon distribution
• Light harvesting and CO2 fixation genes expression in E huxleyi in response to light intensity and elevated CO2

Dr Tracy Lawson
(University of Essex)

• Algal physiology
•  Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)
• Stomatal physiology, control of gas exchange and carbon metabolism
• Plant growth and water use efficiency
• The effects of climate change on plant ecophysiology
• Interaction between plants and their microclimate
• Genetic manipulation of guard cell metabolism

Dr Prashant Singh
(University of Essex)

• Regulation of the Calvin cycle with regards to the GAPDH/CP12/PRK complex
• Molecular analysis of the CP12 gene family in Arabidopsis Thaliana, tobacco and potato
• Antisense study of CP12 in Arabidopsis, tobacco and potato
• Microarray analysis of Arabidopsis CP12 genes

Prof. Betsy Read
(California State University, San Marcos)

Interested in molecular mechanisms of biomineralization and coccolithogenesis in E. huxleyi, and/or about the complex life cycle.  Current projects in the laboratory involve:

• Creating a genetic system for E. huxleyi
• Identifying genes and proteins involved in biomineralization and coccolithogenesis
• Identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in E. huxleyi phase variation

Dr Thomas Wahlund
(California State University, San Marcos)

Major research area is in microbial genetics and physiology however present research includes :

• employing genomics and functional genomics approaches for investigating the processes of biomineralization and coccolithogenesis in coccolithophorid algae
• identifying genes and proteins involved in the expression and regulation of inorganic carbon acquisition and metabolism pathways in these algae

Dr Alison Taylor
(Marine Biological Association)

Research: Phytoplankton Physiology and Algal Cell Physiology

Main Interests:

• Phytoplankton membrane transport and cell signalling
• Coccolilthophore calcification
• Phytoplankton nutrient and metal acquisition

Prof. Colin Brownlee
(Marine Biological Association)

• Intracellular signalling in plants and algae.
• Mechanisms of calcium signalling during early development and in response to environmental cues.
• Polarization mechanisms in fucoid algae.
• Signalling interactions between the cell cycle and polarization during early embryogenesis.
• Mechanisms and function of calcification in coccolithophorid phytoplankton.
• Calcium transport mechanisms during calcification.
• Cellular physiology and homeostasis in phytoplankton

Research interests include Algal Pathology, Algal Virology and Viral Genomics.
Viruses are the most abundant biological agents in the sea. My research primarily focuses on determining the role these viruses have on many biogeochemical and ecological processes, including:

• algal biodiversity and species distributions
• algal biofouling
• algal bloom control
• dimethyl sulphide formation

Viruses that infect Emiliania huxleyi  and Ectocarpus sp. serve as excellent biological models to investigate these processes in both unicellular and multicellular algae, respectively.