Algal Biotechnology

Addressing the climate crisis is now priority for those seeking to both observe and engineer nature. We have reached a common understanding that emission reductions will not be sufficient. New innovation for carbon capture and sequestration or utilization (CCSU) is now mandated for reaching our net-zero sustainability goals. The M2 Research Group is actively addressing this need through multiple research and educational activities:

• Industrial scale CO2 capture cold-adapted diatoms in northern Norway - The Finnfjord Project
• EcoTech4CCU - Professional workshop and student training on biotechnology for CCSU from ecosystem inspired solutions 

Marine Microbiomes

The Arctic marine environment is warming at an unprecedented rate, which makes its native biota vulnerable to extinction and invasion. Of specific concern are changing microbial (phyto)-plankton habitats, which underpin major portions of the global carbon cycle and marine ecosystem functioning.

Why is this important? Shifts in marine microbiome structure and function can perturb and reshape marine ecosystems. The can be acute and happen rapidly; such as the effects caused by harmful algae blooms. Marine ecosystems are also undergoing slow, constant and likely permanent changes due to human activities.

The M2 Research Group uses a combination of culture-independent multi-omics and model microbial consortia to better understand the ecological principles that underpin community succession and metabolic interactions between the prokaryotes and microeukaryotes that inhabit cold, marine environments. In addition, we recognize that there is much to be gained by reconciling these ecological processes with new engineering design principles for innovating new biotechnologies.

Synthetic Biology

Modern synthetic biology relies on the principle that well-characterized genetic parts and can be reused and reconfigured for different functions. However, this paradigm has only been successful to-date in a limited number of hosts, mostly comprised from common lab strains. We recognize that new microbial hosts will expand the scope of synthetic biology and are working to understand the fundamental science required develop ´broad-host-range´ tools for programming and controlling microbial functions.

Our focus on biodesign applies to:

• Engineering microbial communities
• Marine Biotechnology (CCSU, biosensing and remediation)
• Directed evolution platforms

Courses and Training

• Quantitative Microbial Biotechnology (Bio-3615)

• Training workshop in scaling up cultivation of cold-water diatoms (fall 2020, to be announced)

Start your career with us

• The Tromsø Research Foundation provides support for long term activities to train the next generation of scientific leaders here at UiT.

• The Arctic Marie Skłodowska-Curie - Individual Fellowships at UiT can provide an opportunity to receive training and mentorship on your MSCA-IF application to be a distinguished postdoctoral researcher in our group. 

Hans Christopher Bernstein   – Associate Professor

Dennis Tin Chat Chan   – Doctoral Research Fellow

Lars Dalheim   – Doctoral Research Fellow

Gunilla Eriksen   – Senior Engineer

Richard Andre Ingebrigtsen   – Researcher

Stina Krsmanovic   – Head Engineer

Renate Døving Osvik   – Doctoral Research Fellow

Reetta Sætre   – Principal Engineer

Hannah Doris Schweitzer   – Postdoctoral Fellow

Therese Smelror Løkken   – Head Engineer

Jon Brage Svenning   – Doctoral Research Fellow

Nerea Johanna Aalto   – Doctoral Research Fellow

Harmful algae blooms; once every 20 years or here to stay?

2019 was an interesting year for algae and marine microbiomes in northern Norway. We experienced a large harmful algae bloom across multiple, interconnected fjord systems in Northern Norway. This was a major event causing severe fish mortality at several salmon aquaculture facilities in the region. The reported focal strain and agent of fish mortality was a Chrysocromulina leadbeateri – like haptophyte.

These algae are common members of the “normal” spring microbiome, so what triggered the harmful bloom? To answer this question, the M2RG tracked succession dynamics of the entire microbial community – i.e., which species were part of the bloom and in which time order. We are interested in the entire marine microbiome – all the bacteria and algae that we can detect. This is important because even during HAB events, we cannot think about a bloom as a single species. Marine microbial ecosystems are diverse and complex, which is what we love about them.

Will this happen again? History suggests not because similar events have not been observed since the early 2000s and before that, the early 90s. However, the M2RG has deployed a 2020 sampling campaign of the F/F Hyas aimed at asking which ecological factors correlate with observed HAB events and “normal” spring bloom conditions.

Once we are done, we will report our findings and make sure they are free to the public. Please stay tuned.