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Intro – Networking, Elevator Pitches, and Introductions / Andrew Richardson

Seminar / Weijie Zhang, MPI Jena

Abstract: While bacteria and fungi are extensively researched microorganisms within environmental microbiomes, they represent a fraction of a broader spectrum of microbes, which also encompasses highly diverse populations of viruses and protists. Our research program is dedicated to maintaining a holistic perspective when depicting microbiomes in various environments, ranging from soil to insect guts. This comprehensive view is achieved through experimental approaches, including traditional microbiology, next-generation sequencing, chemical analyses, and bioinformatics. During an interactive presentation, I will guide you through various research projects investigating how microbial trophic interactions respond to environmental changes and how the resulting products of these associations influence biological and biochemical activity.

Bio: Born in Nayarit, Mexico, Dr. Ceja-Navarro holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the National Polytechnic Institute. He pursued postdoctoral research at the Ecology Department of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He served as a Project and Research Scientist at the Biosciences Division of the Berkeley Lab for ten years. In August 2022, Dr. Ceja-Navarro joined Ecoss-NAU, where he continues his research on environmental microbial interactions.