Tom Ian Battin

Tom Ian Battin is a Full Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), affiliated with the School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC). He holds roles in three departments: the River Ecosystems Research Laboratory (RIVER), the Laboratory of Management of Infrastructures, Networks and Construction (LIMNC-GE), and the SSIE Teaching Unit (ENS). His research focuses on aquatic ecosystems, microbial communities in glacier-fed streams, climate change impacts, and biogeochemical processes in alpine environments. He advises numerous doctoral students and has supervised over ten theses at EPFL. Battin teaches courses such as 'Fundamentals in Ecology,' 'Aquatic Ecosystems,' and 'Global Change Ecology and Fluvial Ecosystems.' He is actively involved in academic governance, serving on the EPFL Academic Strategic Committee (ASC) and the ENAC Academic Evaluation Committee (CEA).

His work investigates how glacier retreat affects stream microbiomes, dissolved organic carbon dynamics, and ecosystem resilience. Key themes include microbial metabolism, biofilm functionality, and the interplay between hydrology and biogeochemistry. Battin leads research projects on global glacier-fed stream biogeography and the resistome of stream biofilms. His interdisciplinary approach bridges ecology, microbiology, and environmental engineering, addressing critical questions about mountain ecosystems under climate change.