Fateme Sajedi
PhD studentHello, I am Fateme. I am a PhD student at the EFMLab with a background in mechanical engineering. My current research focuses on mixing in porous media, where I investigate the crucial role that scale plays in mixing and mixing-driven reactions. My investigation uses and develops both numerical simulations and microfluidics experiments.
Nadine Harmsen
PhD studentWith a background in microbiology, I am interested in understanding how microbial interactions and environmental conditions shape bacterial behavior and community dynamics. During my Master’s studies in Microbiology and Immunology at ETH Zurich, I investigated a range of host-associated and environmental microbiology questions. My research explored interactions within commensal gut microbiome communities, immune responses to Salmonella infection following microbiome perturbation by non-digestible sugars, the roles of toxicity and nutrient availability in bacterial cooperation and competition, and the relationship between soil microbiome composition and natural plant disease suppressiveness. Currently, as a PhD student at the University of Lausanne (UNIL), I study how environmental complexity influences microbial processes compared with more controlled laboratory conditions. My research focuses on three key processes: biofilm formation, horizontal gene transfer, and adaptation to desiccation and rehydration. By combining classical microbiology with microfluidics, I aim to uncover how environmental architecture shapes bacterial adaptation, survival, and evolution, helping to bridge the gap between simplified laboratory systems and the complexity of natural soil ecosystems.
Michele Caola
PhD studentHolding both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Environmental Sciences with a specialization in Aquatic Sciences from the University of Lausanne, I am currently pursuing my PhD at the same institution. My Master’s thesis focused on colloid transport and air bubble generation in water, laying the foundation for my ongoing research into colloid dynamics within porous media. My work investigates the transport, filtration, and deposition of colloids under unsaturated conditions. By manipulating varying degrees of air and water saturation, I analyze how flow organization and transport are influenced not only by the solid matrix but also by the spatial distribution and interaction of fluid phases.
Julien Luneau
Post-docWith a background in agronomy, my research focuses on understanding the general principles governing plant-pathogen interactions. During my PhD at the Laboratory of Plant-Microbes-Environment Interactions (Toulouse, France), I used functional genomics and molecular biology approaches to characterize the adaptive strategies deployed by bacterial pathogens during the early steps of plant infection. During my postdocs at UNIL, I used single-cell microscopy, microfluidics and computational simulations to determine the drivers and consequences of bacterial phenotypic variation in the context of host infection, plant-microbiota-pathogen interactions or chemical gradients. Now, I investigate how bacterial behavior and vascular environment properties drive pathogen colonization of a microfluidic leaf replica against the flow.
Personal website
Isaac Pincus
Post-docWaiting for description.
Lucas Pimienta
Post-docWaiting for description.