Ph.D. in microbial ecology and microsensor development
I think it is interesting to see how physical and chemical principles come to life inside a sensor to produce important information about the system you study. This is particularly fascinating with the minute confines of a microsensor tip, which also allows investigations in places that are inaccessible with other methods. A great thing about sensors is that they give a signal response quickly, compared to other analytical techniques. This means that you can see the effect immediately, when you make a change in an experiment. This is fascinating in itself, but it is also very useful as it allows a more dynamic experiment design process, which can help to get more clear and significant results. In industrial settings, the fast response of sensors is a determining factor for how well a process can be regulated, so the possibility of developing new sensors that can have an impact outside the university is always motivating.
At the moment, my main interest is within sensor techniques for investigating electrical properties, e.g. electric potential. This is relevant in our studies in the emerging field of electro-microbiology, which concerns microorganisms that are able to transport electrons over micro-meters to centimeter distances. This activity results in a measurable electric field, which we can measure to study the microorganisms.
I enjoy designing and constructing sensors and see how they can help us to understand a world beyond our senses. The most fun aspect is to take part in the whole process from identifying a problem, conception of an idea to solve it, to hands-on work with production, improvement and testing.
‘Cable bacteria’ are recently discovered long multicellular bacteria that transport electrons inside their filamentous ‘body’ between zones with sulfide (‘electron donor’) and zones with oxygen (‘electron acceptor’) in sea and lake sediment. This electron transport has the effect that a gradient in electric potential is created. We constructed a sensor for electric potential, which enables us to study the activity of these environmentally important bacteria in detail. This special kind of bacteria holds promise for finding new conducting biomaterials. Furthermore, electrically active microbes also seem to be associated with groundwater pollution. Measuring the electric effect of their activity can be used to map pollution in an easy and cheap manner.
