Microbial Ecology

Elisa earned a Bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Pau and the Adour Region (France). She then continued her studies at the same university, where she obtained a Master's degree in Chemistry and Life Sciences, specializing in Molecular Biology and Environmental Microbiology. It was during this program that she discovered her desire to apply microbiology to environmental protection. She became particularly interested in bioremediation. This realization led her to join Dr. Lazar's laboratory for her doctoral research.

 

This project focuses on studying microbial populations present in the waters of abandoned mines. These groundwater sources are rich in trace metals, originating from mining activities that can date back up to 200 years. These specific conditions, combined with the evolutionary potential of bacteria, could have favored the emergence of new species capable of tolerating high concentrations of trace metals, notably through metal transformation mechanisms. The objective is to isolate and characterize these metallophilic bacteria in order to assess their bioremediation potential. The first focus of this project is therefore to isolate the bacteria present in the waters of abandoned mines and to characterize their taxonomy and genome. In a second focus, the metabolic characteristics and strategies of the isolated bacteria will be tested in the presence of a single or mixed trace metal and at increasing concentrations. Finally, in a third focus, the effects on the functioning of native communities will be evaluated in the presence of an external strain added to the environment.