Petra Hribovšek

I am a PhD candidate in microbial ecology at the Center for Deep Sea Research at the University of Bergen. My research involves studying recently discovered groups of bacteria and archaea that inhabit hydrothermal vent systems. In my work, I utilize a combination of genome-resolved metagenomics and microscopy techniques to gain a better understanding of these microorganisms.

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PhD project: Investigating the ecology, evolution and metabolism of uncultivated deep-sea hydrothermal microbial lineages

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents support a diversity of archaea and bacteria. Studying these organisms can provide important insights into topics such as biodiversity, element cycling, the evolution of life, and bioprospecting. In my doctoral project, I aim to contribute to our understanding of the ecology, evolution, and metabolic diversity of these largely uncultivated groups of microorganisms at deep sea hydrothermal vents. To accomplish this, I use a variety of techniques including genome-resolved metagenomics, phylogenomics, bioinformatics analyses, and microscopy methods such as FISH, scanning electron microscopy, and helium ion microscopy. I analyze samples collected from diverse hydrothermal vent environments across the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, using sequences generated with Illumina and Nanopore sequencing. My current research focus is on iron-oxidizing bacteria found in hydrothermal vents.

A member of the Deep-sea biology research group