Beja Lab Summer Project

Metagenomics is a field that enables us to look at parts of the environment that were, until recently, masked to us. Present estimates suggest that >99% of the microorganisms in most environments are not amenable to growth in pure culture. By accessing the genomes of these uncultured microorganisms and identifying protein-coding genes and biochemical pathways, we are now able to shed light on their physiological properties and ecological function.

The Béjà lab is mainly focused on viral ‘photosynthesis’ and on the characterization of aquatic microbial type-1 rhodopsins and the light energy they harvest in lakes and oceans.

During the summer we invite you to help us explore one of the following projects:

• The project will involve the characterization of rhodopsin diversity in various environments and will include some fieldwork.
• The project will focus on studying microbial rhodopsin bioenergetics.