Year: 2022

Several new lab members are joining us this autumn.

In September, we will welcome three lab members: Satoshi Kawaichi as a staff scientist, Malene Arreborg as a Ph.D. student and Sarah Sabro Damgård as a third-year ISA student.
In October and November, we welcome two postdocs. In October, Kostas Anestis will join us from the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. He will be the first hire on the Consolidator grant awarded this year by the European Research Council to Amelia.
In November, Ghazaleh Garib will join us from Sabacic University in Istambul, Turkey. She will work with the Electromethanogenesis team toward improving methane production at the cathode.

New lab member

In July, we will welcome our new postdoc Rhitu Kotoki from the Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, India. Rhitu has a Ph.D. in microbiology from Assam University. He has a background in microbial genetics, omics and bioinformatics. He is interested to study the genetic and physiological properties of microorganisms with biotechnological potential. You can read more about his previous work here.

When joining the team, Rhitu will be involved in better understanding extracellular electron uptake in methanogens and manipulating genes to improve this property. He will be part of a team of 5 that will investigate strategies to improve the microbial conversion of CO₂ from waste gas and renewable electricity to a fuel, methane, that can be stored.

The project is funded by a Novo Nordisk Ascending Investigator grant awarded to AE Rotaru.

Incredible news. Amelia received an ERC consolidator grant for the project: Conductive MInerals As Electrical Conduits In METhane Cycling (MIMET).

ERC consolidator grants are awarded to excellent researchers based in Europe, that are 7-12 years from receiving their PhD. The purpose of these grants is for established young labs to strengthen their research teams. This is a grant of 2 million euros (ca. 14 million Dkk-), based at the University of Southern Denmark.

With MIMET, we aim to understand how interactions between microbes and mineral particles may affect the methane cycle. Several postdocs and PhD positions will become available. If you’re interested in this topic and have a suitable background please write to [email protected] to discuss opportunities.