
Dr. Charlotte Walker, Dept. Biology, York
Brown macroalgae are primary producers found in coastal habitats all over the Globe, which are socio-economically important through their role in coastal protection; as a food source for humans and livestock; as a fertiliser in agriculture; and as a source of valuable bioactive compounds. Key to their global impact, brown macroalgae are thought to operate a CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM), dependent upon the photosynthetic enzyme Rubisco, which enables the algae to fix significant amounts of CO2. Almost nothing is known about the mechanism for this, and how common or diverse it may be between individual species. In this studentship you will investigate the CCM function in the model brown alga Ectocarpus. The aim will be to conduct comparative growth assays in CCM active (low CO2) and inactive (high CO2) conditions. The student will also extract RNA and assess the expression levels of potential CCM candidate genes using qRT-PCR. There is also potential to include microscopy, protein extraction and analysis, bioinformatics and field collection of macroalgae within the project. Students will need to find their own accommodation and be expected to present their findings orally at a research day in York in September 2025.