Microbial symbionts in mosses

This project investigates microbial communities associated with Syntrichia mosses and their potential functional roles in host physiology. Focusing on groups like Methylobacteria, students will use transcriptomic and metagenomic data to assess microbial gene expression related to plant hormone biosynthesis and stress response. This work combines bioinformatics, microbial ecology, and plant-microbe interaction studies. There are opportunities for both computational and wet lab work depending on the student’s interest.