معرفی
Gurol Suel is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), affiliated with the Division of Biological Sciences. His research focuses on understanding electrical signaling in bacterial biofilms and the emergent collective behaviors they exhibit. His lab integrates quantitative biology, mathematical modeling, and synthetic biology approaches to explore principles of microbial organization and coordination.
Dr. Suel earned his PhD in Molecular Biophysics from UT Southwestern Medical Center under Dr. Rama Ranganathan, followed by postdoctoral training in Dr. Michael Elowitz's lab at Caltech, combining biology and applied physics. His work has revealed groundbreaking discoveries about ion channel-mediated electrical signaling in biofilms, including their role in nutrient time-sharing between distant communities and the segmentation clock driving cellular differentiation.
Key research areas include: biofilm signaling networks, bacterial collective computation, membrane potential dynamics, and engineering controllable microbial systems. His lab develops novel tools for studying bioelectronic interactions, such as potassium ion-based bioelectronic delivery systems. Spatial and temporal patterning in biofilms, including fractal interface formation and memory encoding through membrane potentials, are central themes in his work.
Though no specific student names are listed, his lab actively conducts PhD rotations and trains researchers in experimental and theoretical microbiology. His work is supported by grants enabling exploration of biofilm communication and synthetic microbial systems.
Contact information includes the UCSD Pacific Hall address and the email 'gsuel@ucsd.edu'. The lab's physical location includes specialized equipment for biofilm electrophysiology and quantitative imaging, as shown in lab photo collections.
