Biologibloggen

I’m Rustem, I’ve recently started my PhD in Courtney Stairs’ lab, where I’m studying the genome of breviates — an underexplored lineage of protists closely related to animals. My academic path began with a bachelor’s in organic chemistry, followed by a master’s in evolutionary biology, during which I built a metabolic model for a prokaryote. In one internship, I also worked on modelling a community of prokaryotes and microalgae; in another, I explored a protist metagenome. So, it felt only natural to now take on perhaps the most challenging microorganisms around: protists living in complex bacterial communities.

Right now, my main goal in the lab is to figure out how to stop accidentally murdering them all the time. Once I succeed, I’ll culture them, extract their genomes, and investigate their evolutionary history — their relationship to other eukaryotes, what they were like in the past, and how they came to be this way.

Outside the lab, I’m also passionate about evolution in a broader sense — especially historical linguistics. I like reading about history and pigments, or occasionally playing an obscenely long EU4 campaign; I also enjoy impersonating people. You can find me in Building A — I’m happy to connect and exchange ideas. See you around!

juni 18, 2025

Inger Ekström

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Hi everyone!

I am Eleni and I just started my PhD, where I focus on the genomics of Microcystis, a toxin-producing cyanobacterium responsible for harmful algal blooms in freshwater systems around the world. My work aims to unravel how genomic diversity, especially related to toxin production, is generated and maintained in natural environments. Using bioinformatics, genome analysis, and field and lab experiments, I explore the complex dynamics behind these blooms and their ecological impacts.

My academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Sciences at Aegean University in Greece, where I developed a strong interest in how global environmental changes affect aquatic ecosystems. This early exposure to aquatic ecology and oceanography sparked my passion for marine life and the urgent need for sustainable solutions to protect it. Wanting to know more, I pursued a Master’s degree in Aquatic Science and Technology at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where I gained skills in data analysis, ecological modelling, and fieldwork. Here, I also participated in major research surveys in the North Sea, collecting and analysing data on fish stocks and predator-prey interactions.

To expand my expertise into molecular and genetic approaches, I completed a second Master’s degree in Bioinformatics at Lund University. During this time, I learned about genome assembly, gene annotation, and sequence analysis. My thesis focused on integrating multi-omics data to study gene expression in ovarian cancer, where I developed bioinformatics workflows and strengthened my programming skills in R and shell scripting. I also worked as a teaching assistant, helping new bioinformatics students grasp complex concepts and apply them in practice.

Bringing together my background in bioinformatics, laboratory research, and aquatic ecology, I am excited to participate in this research project aiming to advance our understanding of microbial genomics and ecosystem dynamics. I am particularly interested in combining genomic tools with ecological data, exploring new methods and approaches.

In my free time I read, spend time outside or enjoy a good meal and a glass of wine. Looking forward to meeting you!!

maj 27, 2025

Inger Ekström

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Hey there, I’m Sophie. I have just joined the Speciation, Adaptation, and Coevolution research group as a PhD student supervised by Øystein Opedal, Magne Friberg and Ola Olsson. My project focuses on floral trait evolution, and I am going to investigate how human land use affects floral trait evolution of a wild plant by changing pollinator communities in the landscape. I’m trying to predict how changes in land-use shift the optimal state of a floral trait, and how many generations it would take a population of wild plants to adapt and reach that new optimum.

I split both my bachelor’s and my master’s degree in biology between LMU Munich and Lund University. For my bachelor thesis, I investigated the effect of human disturbance on young Eurasian Curlews, but since the start of my master’s degree, I have been fascinated with plant-pollinator interactions.

Throughout my master’s, I have been working with pollen identification, and for my thesis I investigated the effect of the population size of a rare plant on its reproductive success through varying pollinator communities and pollinator behavior at sites with different plant population sizes. Now I am very excited to start working at the interface of floral evolution, pollination ecology, and human impacts.

In my free time I enjoy exploring the outdoors on foot (preferably in the company of my dog) or on horseback, trying to travel to remote places by train, playing board games, and reading. I’m looking forward to meeting many of you over the next few years!

april 23, 2025

Inger Ekström

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