Ivan Patrick Tualla

Ivan Patrick Tualla is a Doctoral Researcher at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Germany since 2025. His work focuses on decoding the 'biocatalytic black box' of microbiomes from deep-sea sponges using artificial intelligence and machine learning to discover extremozymes for marine biotechnological applications under the EU Horizon-funded XTREAM project.

His academic journey includes an International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources (Magna cum laude) from Ghent University, University of Basque Country, and University of Bergen (2022–2024), and a Bachelor of Science in Biology major in Marine Biology from Visayas State University (2011–2015).

• Research Interests: Metagenomics, Marine Microbiology, Extremozyme Discovery, Heterologous Expression, Blue Bioeconomy
• Methodologies: High-throughput sequencing, machine learning, molecular cloning, recombinant protein production, protein characterization

His publications and presentations highlight advancements in marine enzyme discovery, taxonomy, and environmental toxicology. He has received prestigious awards including the IMBRsea Best Master Thesis Prize, Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, and recognition for outstanding research in marine sciences.