The MRB lab
We study molecular ecology of aquatic microbes
Life on Earth depends on microbes, especially those that live in the hydrosphere. These microscopic organisms catalyze global geochemical cycles, making life sustainable. They sequester carbon, produce vast biomass, and help larger organisms to gain nutrition from much otherwise-inaccessible food sources through symbioses. They produce bioactive compounds. Microbes affect and are being affected by global climate change. We focus mainly on microbes that can assimilate inorganic carbon or methane, especially those that fuel the astonishing deep-sea chemosynthetic habitats.
The Team
We are a young lab at IOLR, Haifa, Israel. We are looking for talented Ph.D. and M.Sc. students.
Dr. Maxim Rubin-Blum
Head, the MRB lab
Researcher at the IOLR
Research interests:
- Molecular ecology of marine microbes
- Marine animal-microbe symbioses
- Microbial degradation of fossil hydrocarbons (gas and oil)
- Carbon fixation
- Deep-sea ecosystems
Yana Yudkovsky
Lab technician
Specialist in molecular biology,
In charge of the molecular lab.
Yana is also a specialist in DNA barcoding of biota in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Maria Daugavet
Postdoctoral researcher
Horizontal gene tranfer in marine symbioses
Stas Malavin
Ph.D. student/bioiformatician
Stas uses omics and bioinformatics to study chemosynthetic habitats. One of his quests is to look for the eukaryotes in these systems. Stas previously worked on permafrost, retrieving a 25K years old rotifer.
Veronique Kopylov
Ph.D. student
Veronique began her Ph.D. studies, focusing on the exciting diversity of phages in chemosynthetic ecosystems.
Lyuba Shmakova
Biolgist, protist specialist
Specialist in the biology of protists and small metazoans.
Revived permafrost microbes!!!
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Lina Ratinskaya
Ph. D. student
Graduated M.Sc. student (thesis on secondary metabolites @ seeps). Lucinid symbiosis enthusiast - see in publications. Now a Ph.D. student in Uria Alcolombri's lab @ HUJI - and collaborating with us.
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Tony Tendler
M.Sc. student
Tony studies microbial life in and on gas seep carbonates
Zoya Harbuzov
Marine biologist
Marine molecular biology specialist.
Our representative at scientific cruises.
A meiofauna taxonomist. Can extract DNA/RNA from any life form.
Tal Zvi Kedem
Ph.D. student - Graduated!
I am studying deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems offshore Israel. I look into trophic webs and animal-bacteria symbioses.
Co-advisor: Prof. Dan Tchernov,
The University of Haifa
Amit (Barkai) Yanai
M.Sc. student - Graduated!
Fascinated by the world of microbes.
I study the rare bacteria that fix inorganic carbon via more than one metabolic pathway.
In my spare time, I love to kitesurf.
Co-advisor: Prof. Laura Steindler,
University of Haifa
Dr. Coco Koedooder
Postdoctoral researcher - Alumni
I am interested in the interactions between microbes, asking how such interactions can affect iron uptake mechanisms and metabolism.
I focus on Red SeaTrichodesmium populations.
Co-advisor: Prof. Yeala Shaked
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Dr. Sophi Marmen
Alumni PostDoc
Sophi studied the deep-sea gas seeps offshore Israel, developing methods for DNA/RNA extraction from low-biomass samples, as well as library preparation.
Now Sophi is a project manager at LabGuru
Ximena Dubinsky-Velasquez
Ph.D. student - Graduated!
Ximena is a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Tamar Gut-Haim, who collaborates with us in the field of molecular ecology in petroleum spills.