Her goal is to understand how the biofilms allow the microbes to survive in these extremes, who the key players are inside the biofilm community, and what mechanisms they are using.

Henao studies bacterial communities that grow as biofilms and thrive under extreme conditions including high pH, high temperature and high UV-radiation.

By combining insights from natural microbial adaptations with synthetic biology approaches, her work aims to develop sustainable strategies for recovering critical metals from wastes, supporting clean energy technologies while reducing environmental harm.

Guzman studies how bacteria from deep-sea environments interact with valuable metals that are essential for clean energy and modern technologies. Her research focuses on how these microbes naturally trap and transform metals using specialized structures.

I'm so sorry - I don't! But I do know that the talk was very well received.

Good morning! Thank you for your patience while I asked around. Here's what Dr. Jonathan Hardy said - he was one of the attendees at the seminar:

The hope is that by understanding the mechanisms that cause bleaching, we can learn how to prevent it.

Her research is investigating a particular protein to understand its role in the process.