Research interests:

Microbial ecology in terrestrial environments with special emphasis on the following:

• Microbial diversity in terrestrial environment and effects on ecosystem services
• Structure, diversity and function of microbial communities including bacteria, fungi and protozoa
• Resilience and robustness of microbial communities when challenged with microbes and other organisms, pesticides and xenobiotic compounds
• Microbiological soil quality
• Interactions between bacteria and protozoa in terrestrial environment
• Risk assessment of released microorganisms (genetically modified or microbial pest control agents),
• Bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dependence on bioavailability
• Environmental effects of xenobiotic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nanomaterials and pesticides
• Techniques in use include up-to-date molecular tools, such as PCR-DGGE, cloning and RFLP, chemical analysis and traditional microbiological culturing techniques and microscopy.