I am a PhD researcher in the Wheeler Group investigating calcium signalling in marine diatoms. Whilst it is known that calcium signalling is required to respond to stress signals in marine diatoms, the mechanisms by which they do this are largely unknown.

One aspect of my research is to enhance our understanding of calcium signalling mechanisms in the model pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. This involves use of fluorescent microscopy to examine the calcium-dependent processes within cells.

A second field on interest is reviewing the calcium signalling toolkit in various diatom species. This ‘toolkit’ comprises the numerous channels and pumps that are involved in calcium signalling pathways. The calcium toolkit varies between species, but few species have been examined in detail. I will be summarising this toolkit over a wider range of species and I hope to uncover some interesting patterns within this data.