Jean-Baptiste Raina

Jean-Baptiste Raina is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Climate Change Cluster (C3) within the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). His work bridges microbiology, chemical ecology, and biophysics to study microbial behaviors in marine ecosystems, particularly focusing on coral symbioses and chemotaxis. He completed his PhD in 2014 at James Cook University, followed by postdoctoral research at UTS, securing prestigious fellowships including a DECRA (2015) and ARC Future Fellowship (2021).

As Deputy Team Leader of the Ocean Microbiology Group, he leads research on host-microbe interactions, pioneering techniques like microfluidics and high-resolution chemical imaging to study microbial behaviors in situ. His work has advanced understanding of coral health, chemotactic responses in marine bacteria, and the role of metabolites in symbiotic relationships. Key achievements include the 2024 Alma Dal Co Award for microbial ecology leadership.

Research interests span microbial chemotaxis, coral-bacteria symbiosis, biogeochemical cycles, and climate impacts on marine ecosystems. His funded projects include studies on microbial communication networks, coral resilience, and phytoplankton-bacteria symbiosis. He supervises graduate students and teaches courses in microbial ecology and ocean systems.

Award highlights include the Tom Brock Postdoctoral Award (2014), UTS VC Early Career Award (2016), and being a member of the ISME Journal editorial board. His lab focuses on ecological interactions at microbialscales, with implications for coral reef conservation and marine biotechnology.