The School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at UNSW

The University of New South Wales

A leading research and teaching school with expertise in biotechnology, molecular biology, genetics, environmental microbiology, medical microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, protein chemistry and other areas of biological science.

Environmental Microbiology, Extremophiles and Ecosystem Health

The Cavicchioli group has a range of programs that examine Microbial Adaptation at the level of cellular responses, evolution and the impact of microorganisms on whole environmental ecosystems. Our interests cover microorganisms from Antarctica, the Southern Ocean, Heard Island and acid mine drainage sites in the Hunter Valley, to mention a few. In addition to addressing fundamental aspects of biology, we perform commercially orientated research, such as that addressing the use of enzymes from extremophiles to find improved methods of cleaning water recycling membrane filters.

Student projects can be based in genomics/proteomics (including metagenomics/metaproteomics), microbial ecology, microbial physiology, microbial genetics, microbial evolution, bioinformatics, biochemistry/biophysics of proteins, enzymology; in essence, whatever is required to address a large number of biological questions of interest.

Projects provide scope for wet-lab, bioinformatics and field-based projects involving interactions with on-going Honours and PhD students, Postdoctoral Research Fellows, visiting scientists, and local and overseas collaborators, and using a host of whizz-bang research equipment.

Published papers that speak to some of the research themes (contact for copies: r.cavicchioli@unsw.edu.au):

  • Cavicchioli, R. 2006. Cold adapted Archaea. Nature Reviews Microbiology 4: 331-343.
  • Allen, M., Lauro, F.M., Williams, T.J., Burg, D., Siddiqui, K.S., De Francisci, D., Chong, K.W.Y., Pilak, O., Chew, H.H., De Maere, M.Z., Ting, L., Katrib, M., Ng, C., Sowers, K.R., Galperin, M.Y., Anderson, I.J., Ivanova, N., Dalin, E., Martinez, M., Lapidus, A., Hauser, L., Land, M., Thomas, T. and Cavicchioli, R. 2009. The genome sequence of the psychrophilic archaeon, Methanococcoides burtonii: the role of genome evolution in cold-adaptation. International Society of Microbial Ecology Journal 3: 1012-1035.
  • Lauro, F.M., McDougald, D., Thomas, T., Williams, T.J., Egan, S., Rice, S., DeMaere, M.Z., Ting, L., Ertan, H., Johnson, J., Ferriera, S., Lapidus, A., Anderson, I., Kyrpides, N., Munk, A.C., Detter, C., Brown, M.V., Robb, F.T., Kjelleberg, S. and Cavicchioli, R. 2009. The genomic basis of trophic strategy in marine bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106: 15527–15533. (Cover story and Commentary: Church, M.J. The trophic tapestry of the sea. 15519-15520.)
  • Siddiqui, K.S., Parkin, D.M, Curmi, P.M.G., De Francisci, D., Poljak, A., Barrow, K., Noble, M.H., Trewhella, J., and Cavicchioli, R. 2009. A novel approach for enhancing the catalytic efficiency of a protease at low temperature: reduction in substrate inhibition by chemical modification. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 103: 676-686.

Relevant links are:

  • Cavicchioli Cavicchioli extremophiles lab: http://www.babs.unsw.edu.au/directory.php?personnelID=5
  • Australian Genome Alliance: http://www.genomealliance.org.au/projects/EnvironmentalMicrobiology/EnvironmentalMicrobiology.html
  • http://www.genomealliance.org.au/successes/Microbes/Microbes.htm
  • BMSF: http://www.bmsf.unsw.edu.au

BABS personnel that are responsible for this project