Together with many members of the broader community working on the fascinating Cyanidiophyceae (polyextremophilic ancient red algae), I'm happy to share our Tansley Review in @newphyt.bsky.social

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

We’re on the Trends in Biotech Cover with Joanna’s amazing illustration!

More editorial work out in Trends in Biotechnology!

Illustrating new research examining the metabolic dynamics of Galdieria algae. Read it here: www.cell.com/issue/S0167-...

Thanks to @kylelauersen.bsky.social, for the always positive and continued collaboration!

We got the cover of @cp-trendsbiotech.bsky.social !

www.cell.com/issue/S0167-...

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🚨Opportunity Alert: ASPB wants to share and fund your plant curriculum materials! Receive up to $8500 to create and disseminate classroom activities & labs that support teaching the Principles for Teaching Plant Biology.🌱

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New Preprint from our Lab! Kaian and Gordon, using data from RaderLab and bioreactor support from Barbara, show it doesn’t matter where the gene goes, it’s all the same to Cyanidioscyzon merolae www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

How KAUST is transforming waste into wealth RIYADH: Turning food waste into a valuable industrial product may sound improbable, but scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology are proving it is possible — using algae that h...

Today in Arab News, How KAUST is transforming waste into wealth by Haifa Alshammari.

www.arabnews.com/node/2628729...

Lots of updates to our lab website. It has been a busy year for the Sustainable & Synthetic Biotechnology Group!

ssb.kaust.edu.sa

Scientists use algae to convert food waste into sustainable ingredients  - Waste Management Review Scientists have found a way to transform chocolate factory waste and carbon dioxide into sustainable ingredients.

wastemanagementreview.com.au/scientists-u...

Algae and the chocolate factory Ancient algae turn chocolate factory waste and other organic matter into valuable bio-based products, supporting a sustainable circular bioeconomy.

Algae and the Chocolate Factory.

Great writeup by KAUST Discovery!

discovery.kaust.edu.sa/en/article/2...

KAUST scientists convert food waste into sustainable ingredients using algae JEDDAH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have discovered a new use for an ancient organism, converting chocolate factory waste into C-phycocyanin, a valuable blue pigm...

Made it to Arab News headlines today:
arab.news/g39dc
Galdieria blue from chocolate and CO2!

This is my kind of 🔵BLUE SKY🔵 thinking!

This was painted by PhD student Mauricio Masson who also helped develop the natural blue pigment. It’s made by microalgae grown on upcycled chocolate waste.

+ credit @kylelauersen.bsky.social for leading this wildly interesting waste-to-value algae project!

Scientists use algae to convert food waste into sustainable ingredients
www.kaust.edu.sa/en/news/scie...

Elevated carbon dioxide stimulates efficient organic carbon consumption for the unicellular alga Galdieria Contrary to standard fermentation, elevated CO2 triggers efficient organic-carbon consumption in Galdieria during heterotrophy, enabling high-yield biomass and timing C-phycocyanin accumulation. Stable-isotope analysis revealed CO2 as a metabolic trigger, rather than a carbon source, but illumination can enable mixotrophic carbon consumption and increased substrate to biomass ratios.

Online now: Elevated carbon dioxide stimulates efficient organic carbon consumption for the unicellular alga Galdieria

Congratulations to new Dr. Melany Villegas from our lab. Foundational to our work on Cyanidioschizon merolae engineering. looking for a great biotechnologist, reach out to Melany!

‼️🚨🗓️ CONTAMCALENDAR 2026 🗓️🚨‼️

Excited to say the ContamCalendar is back for its fifth edition! We’ve created a fresh new design, folding out for an A3 monthly spread. It’s our best yet, we hope you’ll love it 🗓️🦠🧫🍄

Get yours here ➡️ www.contam.club ⬅️

Publication 📰 of former PhD student Malak's final thesis chapter. Investigating terpene synthase subcellular localization in Chlamydomonas🦠. Squalene k.d. does not affect plastid yields & membrane bioreactor high density cultivation on CO2. New Biotechnology.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Congratulations to our PhD Student Melany Villegas-Valencia, who defended last week. Her work was foundational to our engineering efforts in Cyanidioschyzon merolae.

They can run as turbidostats, but this is batch

Pretty pink algae

We have a new Porphyridium, can you tell which reactor?

🚨📰New paper from the SSB Group, out in Algal Research! Razan, Gordon, & Sebastian engineered Chlamydomonas 🦠 to make isoprene - then, used 20 parallel bioreactors 💡🧪 coupled to multi-port headspace analysis (HidenAnalytical) to optimize it! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Today, we had the honor of hosting Prof. Sotirios Kampranis from
U Copenhagen
in the weekly
KAUST_BESE
student seminar. We heard about biotechnological production of flavors and fragrances as well as Taxol biosynthesis. @clairesale.bsky.social

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I have never heard of this meeting before. Maybe 4-years from now, I’ll be able to attend. Such a rare event seems like it needs more publicity.

Did you know that the red alga Galdieria secretes coproporphyrin IX under certain conditions?

Welcoming @anne-steensma.bsky.social‬ to KAUST from @msudoeplantlab.bsky.social Anne will be with us for 6 months working on Cyanidioschizon merolae engineering.

In less than two weeks it will be time for #AlgalBBB in Phoenix! Looking forward to seeing all of you there and proud that
@ASU_AzCATI will have a tour of its facilities. Happy to represent @KAUST_BESE. www.elsevier.com/events/confe...

New #preprint. CO2 stimulates Galdieria to eat organic carbon, even in the dark. Stable isotope applied to algal biotech & 🍫chocolate conversion to algal biomass 🦠 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

So pretty. @clairesale.bsky.social #chlamydomonas #algae #kaust