Special EESS talk on "Closing the loop: 20+ years in organohalide respiration"
Abstract:
Organohalide respiration is an environmental-friendly bacterial energy metabolism that makes use of halogenated compounds as terminal electron acceptors and contributes to the bioremediation of polluted sites. Since its discovery more than 30 years ago, the diversity of organohalide-respiring bacteria and that of the key enzyme in the process – the reductive dehalogenase – has massively increased. Nevertheless, fundamental aspects of this anaerobic respiratory process are still to be elucidated. Since the start of my PhD thesis in 2000 in the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE, EPFL) and until today, I had the opportunity to follow and contribute to the understanding of organohalide respiration. Starting from the identification of the genes, and then along with the emergence of omics, I investigated the genetics, physiology, regulation and biochemistry of a subset of organohalide-respiring bacteria.
At the time of closing the EPFL chapter of my life, this seminar aims at presenting an overview of the work done throughout these years thanks to the fruitful teamwork with enthusiastic students and external researchers, and to the long-lasting collaboration with LBE head, Christof Holliger.
Short biography:
Dr. Julien Maillard is a Research Senior Associate in the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE) at EPFL. His work so far has focused on bacteria able to use halogenated compounds (such as the widespread contaminant tetrachloroethene) as terminal electron acceptors in the anaerobic respiration process called organohalide respiration. After graduation in biotechnology and microbiology at ETHZ, he obtained a PhD in microbiology at LBE and spent two years as a postdoc at UEA in Norwich (UK). Back to LBE first as a postdoc in 2007, he became research associate in 2011. Together with Christof Holliger, he has co-directed the work of five PhD students.
Organohalide respiration is an environmental-friendly bacterial energy metabolism that makes use of halogenated compounds as terminal electron acceptors and contributes to the bioremediation of polluted sites. Since its discovery more than 30 years ago, the diversity of organohalide-respiring bacteria and that of the key enzyme in the process – the reductive dehalogenase – has massively increased. Nevertheless, fundamental aspects of this anaerobic respiratory process are still to be elucidated. Since the start of my PhD thesis in 2000 in the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE, EPFL) and until today, I had the opportunity to follow and contribute to the understanding of organohalide respiration. Starting from the identification of the genes, and then along with the emergence of omics, I investigated the genetics, physiology, regulation and biochemistry of a subset of organohalide-respiring bacteria.
At the time of closing the EPFL chapter of my life, this seminar aims at presenting an overview of the work done throughout these years thanks to the fruitful teamwork with enthusiastic students and external researchers, and to the long-lasting collaboration with LBE head, Christof Holliger.
Short biography:
Dr. Julien Maillard is a Research Senior Associate in the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE) at EPFL. His work so far has focused on bacteria able to use halogenated compounds (such as the widespread contaminant tetrachloroethene) as terminal electron acceptors in the anaerobic respiration process called organohalide respiration. After graduation in biotechnology and microbiology at ETHZ, he obtained a PhD in microbiology at LBE and spent two years as a postdoc at UEA in Norwich (UK). Back to LBE first as a postdoc in 2007, he became research associate in 2011. Together with Christof Holliger, he has co-directed the work of five PhD students.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
- This event is internal
Organizer
- EESS - IIE
Contact
- Prof. Christof Holliger