My research interest spans multiple interdisciplinary fields, including biotechnology, environmental science, computational biology, and geomicrobiology. Across these areas, I have been particularly exploring the practical applications of microbes and their biological processes in health, sustainability, and the energy sector.
My research began with studying microalgae, with a particular focus on diatoms, for the sustainable production of high-value renewable compounds through bioprocess strategies. To investigate the molecular routes of these compounds, we employed multi-omics approaches laying the foundation for future genetic manipulation for enhancing nutraceutical production in these cellular factories.
In the next phase of my work, I studied microbially induced carbonate precipitation as a strategy for lithium recovery from geothermal brines. In this project, bacterial processes were harnessed to precipitate carbonate minerals, enabling lithium to be recovered from complex brine systems.
My growing interest in biomineralization stems from the remarkable ways in which biological processes shapes the inorganic space. At Oxford, my research investigates the molecular-level mechanisms of microbial biomineralization, with a particular focus on the organic–mineral interactions that give biominerals their special properties. More broadly, I will be working at the interface of geomicrobiology, mineralogy, and molecular biology, with an emphasis on linking genetic pathways to mineralization processes.
