A collaboration @SimonsFdn which investigates the principles underpinning the self-organization, structure, and function of #microbial communities in the #ocean
Joined March 2023
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We gladly introduce PriME, an international and interdisciplinary collaboration which aims to derive fundamental principles of how microbial ecosystems assemble and function, with a primary focus on #marinemicrobes and #carboncycling 🦠🌊
Stay tuned!👀
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❓Can we predict ocean carbon cycling by looking at what microbes do rather than who they are?🌊
During his PhD in PriME, Ryan Reynolds explored this question by combining global metagenomic with metabolic modeling 😀
Check out his last publication 👇
science.org/doi/10.1126/scia…
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🌊 Are bacterial attachments to phytoplankton just microscopic travel companions — or a key driver of marine ecosystem functioning? 🦠
PriME alumnus Mathieu Forget explores this question in a new review 👏👇
nature.com/articles/s41564-0…
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PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems retweeted
We're hiring a new postdoc! Are you experienced in genetically modifying non-model microbes? Do you have experience in leading a molecular level project, possibly dealing with metabolism? Then this is perfect for you!
jobs.vib.be/j/134563/postdoc…
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Congratulations to Astrid Stubbusch for receiving the Prix Schläfli 2026 in Biology for her outstanding PhD work made in PriME 😉 👏😃🦠
Amazing achievement, Astrid — so well deserved!
scnat.ch/en/awards/schlaefli…
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Welcome to PriME, Dieter! 🎉
Dieter joins the Orphan Lab @OrphanANME as a Postdoc, working at the interface of microbiology, biophysics & fluid dynamics to study microbial interactions and processes like marine snow formation 🦠🌊
Great to have you on board 🤗!
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It's time to say goodbye to @JonaszSlomka — a PriME member since the early days 👏
He will start his own #bioencounters lab at the University of Warsaw, exploring microbial interactions at the physics–biology interface 🦠.
All the best for this exciting new chapter! 🚀
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PriME members in Zurich gathered last week for the PriME Mini-Symposium!
Interactive poster sessions, review paper discussions, and plenty of networking made for a lively afternoon of science and collaboration 🤗
Thanks to everyone who joined! 🌊🦠
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Most marine bacteria never find a food particle. Some do—and that’s enough 😉
A PriME team uncovers stochastic resilience: rare, high-reward encounters sustain bacterial populations in nutrient-poor oceans.🌊🦠
Out now in @PNASNews !
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.25…
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🔥Hot off the press!
❓ How do bacteria get iron when nutrients are scarce and constantly washed away❓
A PriME collective effort reveals—using a new continuous culture device—how bacteria acquire iron under rapid nutrient renewal, beyond #siderophores.
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.25…
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❓Does low phosphate help keep carbon locked in fucoidan rather than recycled by bacteria❓
A PriME fellow from the @HehemannJan lab explored this question in a study just published on @NatureMicrobiol 🤗⬇️
nature.com/articles/s41564-0…
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We say goodbye to Jeremy, who joined PriME as a PhD student and leaves as a Postdoc — he has been an active and valued part of our community. He now continues his journey @umces, studying viral removal rates in marine ecosystems 🦠🌊
Thank you - and all the best, Jeremy 🤗!
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A warm PriME welcome to Richard!🎉
Richard joined the Hwa Lab @UCSanDiego as a new Postdoc, exploring how physiological variation within bacterial species shapes their evolution 🧫🔬.
We’re excited to have you with us!
primecollaboration.org/profi…
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Welcome to the PriME team, Eliane! 🎉
Eliane has just joined @theStockerLab @ETH_en as a new PhD student, exploring how microbial processes shape the ocean’s carbon cycle 🌊🦠.
We’re thrilled to have you on board!
🔗 primecollaboration.org/profi…
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We gathered this week for our Annual Meeting in NYC - three days of inspiring exchange!✨
This year, we introduced group work sessions for review papers🗒️to reflect and synthesize our interdisciplinary work😀
Thank you to all participants and @SimonsFdn for the support!
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PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems retweeted
26 Sep 2025
And finally, I am proud to be able to share the work of my dear student Gabriel Vercelli and a collaboration with my (also dear) MIT colleague Ariel Furst @afurst1. This technology can open new avenues for microbiome engineering.
biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/…
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Congratulations to all authors, including our PriME fellows 🤗
27 Aug 2025
Delighted to share our latest work published in Science Advances - led by PhD student Sophie Zweifel, this study characterises a new life phase in coccolithophores and opens up our understanding of the complex microbial interactions driving algae blooms
richardjhenshaw.com/2025/08/…
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❓How do microbes that can’t make their own vitamins survive in the ocean? 🌊🦠
In this new paper, @RachelGregorPhD and fellow PriME members uncover the role of B vitamin auxotrophies in microbial communities.
👇Check it out 😀
academic.oup.com/ismej/advan…
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PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems retweeted
15 Aug 2025
The degradation of complex macromolecules in the ocean is only possible when microbes work together. An emergent division of labor controls a key process in the carbon cycle. Latest preprint with the Andi Sichert and the Sauer lab.
🔗 tinyurl.com/n49kv89w
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❓What if microbes share not just small metabolites, but also complex molecules that shape community assembly? 🦠
@sammy_pontrelli and co-authors explored this question in a new collaborative PriME study 😃
Learn more about it 👇
journals.plos.org/plosbiolog…
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PriME Dr. #5 in 2025 is Gabriel from the @oxcordero lab!
He successfully defended his thesis "Shaping Function Through Space: The Role of Spatial Organization in Microbial Communities" 🧑🎓🥳
Thank you Gabriel for your collaborative spirit and contribution to our community 🦠🌊🤗
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