Watch: Orkun Soyer on exploring the energetics of microbial systems across space and time at NITMB

Hear from recent NITMB workshop organizer, Orkun Soyer, on his work exploring the energetics of microbial systems, and what makes NITMB the best place to build the future of this research area

Orkun Soyer is a Professor of Evolutionary Systems and Synthetic Biology at the University of Warwick. Professor Soyer leads the OSS Lab at the University of Warwick. The current focus of the OSS lab is to develop a quantitative understanding of cellular metabolism and metabolic interactions among species. On the former topic, the lab develops theoretical 'toy' models of key motifs in cell metabolism and conduct experimental analyses on single cell physiology in yeast and mammalian cells. On the latter topic, the lab creates model ('synthetic') microbial communities and studies species co-existence and interactions in these. These efforts currently focus on a 15-species cyanobacterial microbial community that develops extensive spatial organisation.

At NITMB, Orkun Soyer was an organizer of the 'Microbial Communities: Energetics and Dynamics Across Space and Time' workshop in October of 2025.

Learn more and watch talk recordings from this workshop

Credits:

Impact of spatial organisation disturbance on the composition of a cyanobacterial community adapted from Figure 4 of Duxbury SJN et al, ISME J. 2025 Jan 2;19(1):wraf126. doi: 10.1093/ismejo/wraf126.

Image of spatial structures formed by the filamentous cyanobacteria, Fluctiforma draycotensis, while grown on agar plates courtesy of Dr. Orkun S Soyer

Video sampling of a freshwater reservoir and inflows for subsequent culturing in the laboratory courtesy of Dr. Alberto Scarampi

Image of culturing of environmentally sourced cyanobacteria under laboratory conditions courtesy of Dr. Mary Coates