Julie Cosmidis

Microbe-Mineral Lab

We are currently recruiting new DPhil students. Please get in touch before applying if you are interested in these positions.

Biominerals are a fascinating testimony of life’s capacity to shape the inorganic world. Through the formation of minerals, bacteria participate in fluxes of most elements at the surface of the Earth, having profound impacts on biogeochemical cycles. Minerals formed by bacteria often possess unique properties such as non-crystallographic morphologies, thermodynamically unstable structures, out-of-equilibrium chemical compositions, and intimate association with organic matrices. These properties strongly influence the stability, reactivity, and bioavailability of biominerals in the environment, and hence determine their roles in biogeochemical cycles. Moreover, due to these specific properties, microbial biominerals can be used as biosignatures for the search of life on early Earth, and have been proposed as targets for astrobiological exploration on other planets. Our laboratory works on deciphering the molecular-level mechanisms of microbial biomineralization, with a focus on the organic-mineral interactions that confer biominerals their special properties.

In addition to their important role in biogeochemical cycles and value in palaeobiological investigations, microbial “biomineral factories” may be used to produce high-value materials for diverse technological applications. We are working on developing novel microbial processes for the bioproduction of high-value minerals and materials. Through these efforts, we work to make microbial biomineralization a critical tool to meet our needs of mineral materials (e.g. for energy storage or construction) without compromising Earth’s resources, enabling us to transition from a petrochemical industry to a more sustainable model based on bio-manufacturing.

Current lab members:

•  Shuo Wang – NERC DTP DPhil student
• Sharmin Yousuf Rikta – DPhil student
• Luke williams – Lab manager

BioFacts project (ERC Starting grant / UKRI)

Starting April 2024, the 5-year project BioFacts will combine high-throughput Raman spectromicroscopy and molecular biology approaches to uncover new biological mechanisms controlling microbial biomineralization. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining the project as a postdoctoral researcher or DPhil student.