Student subjects of the department Microbial Ecology (General)

Research is continuously changing: research projects are completed and new projects start. This implies that a web page with student subjects is rapidly outdated. Therefore we here provide, next to the specific subjects, a general indication of the student subjects in which you can participate and of the research facilities and the supervision you can expect within our department.

Research Topics:

• Microbial diversity (Why is there such a huge diversity of soil microorganisms?)
• Spatial distribution (What kind of spatial patterns can be recognized in the micro- and macro-distribution of microorganisms and how do these patterns arise?)
• Non-cultivable species (What are the properties of microbes that can not be grown? ; What are the conditions needed to make them grow?)
• Microbes in the rhizosphere (zone around roots): How is the ratio between beneficial and harmful rhizosphere microbes regulated?)
• Fungi versus bacteria (What kind of interactions are there between fungi and bacteria?)
• Competition (Which strategies do microbes employ to maintain themselves among competitors?)
• Environment-related research (E.g. the impact of climate change and genetically modified plants on soil microbes)
• Application-related research (E.g. development of strategies to discover new antibiotics and new biocontrol measures)

Photo impression of the research ME
Click on the attachment (in Dutch) at the bottom of this page.

Facilities
In our department we use a range of microbiological - , molecular biological - (including genomics), biochemical - and chemical techniques. The facilities for using these techniques are excellent. Depending on the subject of your choice and your personal prevalence emphasis can be put on a certain technique.

Supervision
You will be supervised by the researcher that is responsible for a particular research topic. Practical supervision is also given by the technicians in our group. Supervision will be tuned to the demands of your educational institute and your personal demands/skills. In practice, supervision is intensive in the beginning, followed by a period of doing more independent research.

Requirements and duration
Research trainings are possible for student of MBO/HBO/University with a microbiological - /molecular biological - / biochemical - or chemical background. Duration is 3 months at minimum.

Contact
Dr. Wietse de Boer
E-mail: w.deboer@nioo.knaw.nl
Tel. +31 (0)26-4791311