Kort præsentation

MICROALGAE FOR THE FUTURE

Microalgae are extremely interesting photosynthetic organisms with varied and unique biological traits. Most of them can grow in seawater and in fact, they are responsible for approx. 50% of the global CO₂ fixation. Depending of their habitat and lineage, they present a different range of characteristics that will allow them to thrive in their ecosystems. Two good examples are their pigments and lipids. Microalgae have developed unique pigments that allow them to do efficiently photosynthesis under the water or even inside corals as essential symbionts. They are also capable of remodeling their lipids composition upon non optimal conditions in order to modulate their buoyancy and reach a more favorable environment. Pigments with antioxidant properties and lipids, including omega-3 fatty acids, are typical compounds produced by microalgae with benefitial properties for our health. However their accumulation in microalgae is triggered upon environmental stresses.

I am interested in the fundamental biology of microalgae and how microalgae adapts upon environmental stresses. I want to understand in an ecological context, how microalgae are adapting to the climate crisis that is changing irreversibly their habitats. And in addition, I want to harness the mechanisms that regulate their growth and production of valubale compounds upon stress in order to promote and optimize microalgae for the green transition in the biotech industry. In this way, unlocking microalgae potential to become a major sustainable source of food and nutraceuticals.

My current research projects in eukaryotic microalgae involve:

• Pigment biogenesis
• Trophic mechanisms
• Lipid accumulation and buoyancy
• Production of valuable compounds

I am doing my research in the Algae Biochemistry Group lead by Johan Andersen-Ranberg. Are you interested in microalgae and would like to do your master or bachelor thesis with us? Do not hesitate to contact us!

More about my research:

LinkedIN 

GoogleScholar

Researchgate

Selected publications:

1. Jinkerson, R. E., Poveda-Huertes, D., Cooney, E. C., Cho, A., Ochoa-Fernandez, R., Keeling, P. J., Xiang, T., & Andersen-Ranberg, J. (2024). Biosynthesis of chlorophyll c in a dinoflagellate and heterologous production in planta. Current biology : CB, 34(3), 594–605.e4.
2. Poveda-Huertes, D., Patwari, P., Günther, J., Fabris, M. & Andersen-Ranberg, J. (2023). Novel transformation strategies improve efficiency up tp 10-fold in stramenopile algae. Algal research: 74, 11p., 103165.
3. Olsen, M. L., Poveda-Huertes, D., Ozcelik, D., Gundersen, E., Thøfner, J. F. B., Kobylynska, M., Marcotti, S., Fleck, R. A., McGrouther, D., Andersen-Ranberg, J., Jacobsen, C., & Jensen, P. E. (2026). Breeding Chlorophyll-Deficient Mutants of Chlorella vulgaris to Enhance Consumer Acceptance. Bioengineering, 13(3), 318. 

GRANTS:

• NNF postdoctoral fellowship: PhotoMASS: Unlocking the bioproduction potential of Phototrophic Marine Algae for Sustainable Synthetic Biology. 04.2022-03.2025.
• VILLUM experiment grant: MOONWALK (MOving ON WAter: algae buoyancy LacKing limbs). 02.2024-01.2026