Dr. Steven Biller (MIT)
Dr. Steven Biller, a Postdoctoral Associate from the laboratory of Prof. Penny Chisholm, MIT, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Marine biologist Dr. Biller is currently researching marine cyanobaterium Prochlorococcus, the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organism on the planet. While each Prochlorococcus cell is less than 1µm in diameter, the total oceanic population is responsible for a significant fraction of global primary production.
What are the main research interests of your group?
The Chisholm lab seeks to understand the biology of the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus at all levels of biological organization, from individual genomes to global ocean food webs and biochemistry. We study the origins, evolution and maintenance of genomic diversity; interactions of phage with different groups of Prochlorococcus; and the distribution of different 'ecotypes' of Prochlorococcus throughout the oceans.
How are you using the qNano in your research?
We are using the qNano as a tool to measure Prochlorococcus cells in the lab and to investigate the interactions of this cyanobacterium with small particles of dissolved organic material and marine viruses in the ocean environment.
Group Website:
Click Here to Watch The Inter-University Nanotechnology Measurement Championships Video.
