Research Interest

I deal with bacterial genomics, phylogenomics, and population genomics. I use FISH, optical and electronic microscopy, Sanger, Illumina and PacBio sequencing, and R. I am currently addressing Candidatus Thiobius zoothamnicola, the bacterial symbiont of Zoothamnium niveum. I also aim to address the mutualism itself, in terms of the maintenance mechanism involved.

Education and research activities

2012-2022     Research stay at the Marine Biology Station, Piran, Slovenia (52 weeks)

2009     Cruise to 9°N East Pacific Rise, hydrothermal vents; one dive with DSV Alvin

07/2008-05/2012     University of Vienna, Vienna (Austria), Technical assistant

09/2008     Master in Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz (Spain)

09/2001     Master degree in Marine Sciences, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz (Spain)

06/1991     Baccalaureate, Centro de Enseñanzas Integradas, Málaga (Spain)

Conferences

2017     52^nd European Marine Biology Symposium, Piran, Slovenia. Co-organizer of session Marine Symbiosis, September, 25-29 2017

2015     Animal Microbe Symbioses Gordon Conference, Waterville Valley, USA, June 21.26, 2105 (invited talk)

2013     5^th International Symposium on Chemosynthesis-Based Ecosystems, Victoria, Canada, 18 – 23 August, 2013 (2 talks, 2 posters of group)

2012     7^th International Symbiosis Society Congress, Krakow, Poland, 22 -28 July,

2006     5^th International Congress on Symbiosis, Vienna, Austria

Skills

labwork: FISH, TEM, SEM, microscopy, mini- and mesofluidics

fieldwork: snorkeling

informatics: R, bash, Mathematica, Mediawiki, Typo3, Wordpress, Joomla!

outreach: Wikimedia, Twitter

Publications

De Oliveira AL, Srivastava A, Espada-Hinojosa S, Bright M. 2022. The complete and closed genome of the facultative generalist Candidatus Endoriftia persephone from deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Molecular Ecology Resources 00:1–18 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13668

Espada-Hinojosa S, Drexel J, Kesting J, Kniha E, Pifeas I, Schuster L, Jean-Marie Volland J-M, Zambalos HC, Bright M. 2022. Host-symbiont stress response to lack-of- sulfide in the giant ciliate mutualism. PLoS ONE 17(2): e0254910. doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0254910

Bright M, Espada Hinojosa S, Volland J-M, Drexel J , Kesting J, Kolar I , Morchner D, Nussbaumer A, Ott J, Scharhauser F, Schuster L, Zambalos HC, Nemeschkal HL. 2019. Thiotrophic bacterial symbiont induces polyphenism in giant ciliate host Zoothamnium niveum. Sci Rep 9, 15081 (2019). doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51511-3

Volland, J-M, Schintlmeister, A, Zambalos, H, Reipert, S, Mozetič, P, Espada-Hinojosa, S, Turk, V, Wagner, M & Bright, M. 2018. NanoSIMS and tissue autoradiography reveal symbiont carbon fixation and organic carbon transfer to giant ciliate host. ISME J. (doi:10.1038/s41396-018-0069-1).

Bright M, Espada-Hinojosa S, Lagkouvardos I, Volland J-M. 2014. The giant ciliate Zoothamnium niveum and its thiotrophic epibiont Candidatus Thiobios zoothamnicoli: a model system to study interspecies cooperation. Frontiers in Microbiology 5: 1-13.