Julia G Passos
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Email
julia.gpassos@essex.ac.uk -
Location
Colchester Campus
Profile
- Microbiology
- Biogeochemical cycling
- CO metabolism
- Halophiles
Biography
I am a microbiological oceanographer interested in biogeochemical cycles, particularly the pathways through which microorganisms fix carbon. Having previously worked with chemosynthesis in the deep sea, my work in the PhD is to investigate microorganisms in hypersaline environments, halophiles, and their role in CO and H2 cycling, with a focus on analyzing proteins structure, such as CO dehydrogenases and hydrogenases, and their function on CO and H2 metabolism.
Qualifications
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BSc Oceanography Universidade do Vale do Itajaí (2018)
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MSc Biological Oceanography Universidade de São Paulo (2023)
Research and professional activities
Thesis
The role of hydrogen and carbon monoxide metabolism in anaerobic halophilic prokaryotes in biogeochemical cycles
My research focuses on Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenases and Hydrogenases from bacteria and archaea growing on hypersaline environments, elucidating the cycling of the intermediate metabolites, CO and H2, and connecting them to the CO2 and methane cycles. Anaerobic high-salinity environments represent widespread yet understudied habitats. The halophilic prokaryotes have metabolic strategies that potentially involve specialized enzyme complexes and might hold the key to understanding gas production
Supervisor: Dr. James Birrell , Dr. Terence McGenity
