معرفی
Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Hambleton is a Group Leader at the Division of Microbial Ecology within the University of Vienna's Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science. Her research focuses on the evolution and molecular mechanisms of photosynthetic symbioses between dinoflagellate algae and marine invertebrates, particularly corals and acoel flatworms. She combines functional experiments, transcriptomics, and mass spectrometry to study metabolic exchange and symbiotic interactions.
Her lab, located in the AquaLab, uses model systems like Aiptasia anemones and Waminoa flatworms. Current projects include single-cell transcriptomics in corals, molecular programs in symbiotic flatworms, and defensive lipid studies in symbioses. Fieldwork is conducted in the Mediterranean and Japan.
Liz's group has published extensively on coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis, sterol transfer mechanisms, and symbiotic model systems. She has presented invited talks at conferences, contributing to advancing understanding of symbiosis dynamics under environmental change.
