Kongsvegen glacier margin, Svalbard. Credit: James Bradley

L-R: James Bradley, Sibylle Lebert, Eloi Martinez-Rabert, Christian Tamburini. Credit: James Bradley

Returning to Ny-Ålesund after sampling on Midtre Lovénbreen glacier, Svalbard. Credit: James Bradley

Sibylle Lebert, Christian Tamburini & Eloi Martinez-Rabert sampling snow on Austre Brøggerbreen glacier, Svalbard. Credit: James Bradley

❄️ SVALBARD 78°N ❄️

#ERC_SIESTA fieldwork underway in Svalbard, as we search for the survival, dormancy and ice nucleation strategies of microbes in Earth's extremes 🦠 🧬 🔬 ❄️ 🐻‍❄️

@cnrs.fr @erc.europa.eu @mioceanologie.bsky.social @cnrsecologie.bsky.social @univ-amu.fr

Credit: James Bradley

Credit: James Bradley

Credit: James Bradley

Credit: James Bradley

Antarctica isn’t owned by anyone and has no official flag, so when I travelled south for the #ERC_SIESTA #POLARIN project, I brought flags designed by schoolchildren, to send them photos of their amazing creations flying in Antarctica. Here are a few of their brilliant designs #AntarcticFlags 🤩🐧❄️🐋🇦🇶

Laura @lauramolares.bsky.social presenting her prize winning (!!) @hfspo.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu #ERC_SIESTA PhD research on the catabolic strategies of glacial microbiomes at the Polar & Alpine Microbiology Conference, thanks to support from @eageo.bsky.social ❄️🔬🦠🧬🏆 @mioceanologie.bsky.social

Credit: James Bradley

Credit: James Bradley

Credit: James Bradley

Strandline Glacier ❄️
Tethys Bay, Victoria Land, Antarctica 🇦🇶

#ERC_SIESTA #POLARIN @erc.europa.eu @hfspo.bsky.social @mioceanologie.bsky.social @cnrs.fr

Sibylle Lebert and Laura Molares Moncayo being awarded prizes for best poster and oral presentation by Liane Benning, at the Polar and Alpine Microbiology Conference 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark

Sibylle Lebert presenting her ERC SIESTA PhD research at the Polar and Alpine Microbiology Conference 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark

Laura Molares Moncayo presenting her HFSP and ERC SIESTA PhD research at the Polar and Alpine Microbiology Conference 2026 in Copenhagen, Denmark

Sad that Antarctic fieldwork overlapped with Polar & Alpine Microbiology conference 🥲
but DAMN did #ERC_SIESTA @erc.europa.eu @hfspo.bsky.social @mioceanologie.bsky.social PhD students Sibylle Lebert & Laura Molares Moncayo do a superb job presenting & winning awards for best poster and talk! 🤩❄️🧬🦠🔬👩‍🔬

. @mioceanologie.bsky.social @cnrs.fr @cnrsecologie.bsky.social @cnrs-insu.bsky.social @cnrs-insu.bsky.social @cnrs-dr12.bsky.social @hfspo.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu #ERC_SIESTA @univ-amu.fr

Katabatic winds blowing over Strandline Glacier, shot from Mario Zucchelli Station, Northern Victoria Land. Credit: James Bradley

Sea spray and whitecaps in Terra Nova Bay, Northern Victoria Land. Credit: James Bradley

Katabatic winds blowing over Strandline Glacier, shot from Mario Zucchelli Station, Northern Victoria Land. Credit: James Bradley

Sea spray and whitecaps in Terra Nova Bay, Northern Victoria Land. Credit: James Bradley

Katabatics hitting us HARD ❄️💨🇦🇶
The max wind speed I saw on the weather station read-out was 98 knots 😱 & minimum recording of 54 knots over 6-hour period 😮‍💨 #Antarctica #MZS #ERC_SIESTA @drmartinezrabert.bsky.social @cnr-isp.bsky.social #POLARIN @erc.europa.eu @mioceanologie.bsky.social @cnrs.fr

Sea ice over the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Credit: James Bradley

Basler aircraft on the sea ice runway in Tethys Bay, Antarctica. Credit: James Bradley

Lenticular Clouds over Strandline Glacier, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Credit: James Bradley

Adélie penguins going out to sea, Mario Zucchelli Station, East Antarctica. Credit: James Bradley

A few recent snaps from Antarctica ❄️
🌊 Sea ice over the Ross Sea
🛩️ Basler on the sea ice runway in Tethys Bay
☁️ Lenticular clouds over Strandline Glacier
🐧 Adélie penguins heading out to sea

#ERC_SIESTA @drmartinezrabert.bsky.social @mioceanologie.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @cnr-isp.bsky.social

Pleasure working with @emilruff.bsky.social @geobiomaggie.bsky.social @melroselane.bsky.social & lead author @emvidal.bsky.social 👏
@mioceanologie.bsky.social @cnrs-insu.bsky.social @cnrs-dr12.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @hfspo.bsky.social #ERC_SIESTA

(L-R) Eloi Martinez-Rabert and James Bradley on a rocky outcrop above Tinker Glacier, northern Victoria Land, East Antarctica. Credit: James A. Bradley

An ice-lidded cryoconite hole on Boomerang Glacier, northern Victoria Land, East Antarctica. Credit: James A. Bradley

James Bradley collecting glacier surface ice samples on the Nansen Ice Sheet, northern Victoria Land, East Antarctica. Credit: James A. Bradley

Eloi Martinez-Rabert with samples of cryoconite sediment from Hells Gate, northern Victoria Land, East Antarctica. Credit: James A. Bradley

3 weeks (half way!) into our #ERC_SIESTA field campaign in East Antarctica ❄️🐧 with @drmartinezrabert.bsky.social we're investigating #microbialdormancy in the #cryosphere 🧬🦠🔬 @cnr-isp.bsky.social XLI Italian Antarctic Expedition, Zucchelli Station, Victoria Land 🇦🇶🇮🇹🇪🇺 #POLARIN

#ERC_SIESTA

Laura Molares Moncayo presents cryosphere research funded by ERC Starting Grant SIESTA (James Bradley) and HFSP aeromicrobiology (Jackie Goordial, Chris Greening, Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert, James Bradley) at the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Laura Molares Moncayo presents cryosphere research funded by ERC Starting Grant SIESTA (James Bradley) and HFSP aeromicrobiology (Jackie Goordial, Chris Greening, Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert, James Bradley) at the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Laura Molares Moncayo at the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil

Laura Molares Moncayo on an early career researchers panel, hosted by the Cryosphere Pavilion, at the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Why should microbes frozen in ice snow air & soils matter for global climate policy? #COP30 ❄️🌍🧬

Laura Molares Moncayo in Belém representing our #ERC_SIESTA research, bringing early-career voices & engaging with delegates about why microbial processes in the cryosphere matter in climate negotiations

Attendees of the 8th International Symposium on Arctic Research, 2025, in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan

James Bradley, Tokyo, 2025

Lunch with Nozomu Takeuchi and Laura Halbach, Hachioji Tokyo

Omoide Yokocho, Tokyo

A real pleasure to give an invited talk at the 8th International Symposium on Arctic Research in Hachioji, Tokyo 🇯🇵 on @hfspo.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu #ERC_SIESTA research exploring glacier & atmosphere microbiome connectivity @mioceanologie.bsky.social @cnrs-insu.bsky.social ❄️🦠☁️🧬

Postdoc vacancy: Microbial dormancy in the cryosphere
@erc.europa.eu #ERC_SIESTA
📢 PLEASE RT

🧬 Single cell microbial activity measurements, flow cytometry, cell sorting, omics, ecological interpretation

☀️ Marseille, France
‼️ Apply ASAP & before 7 Nov
Link: emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/CDD/U...

2 Postdoc vacancies: Microbial dormancy in the cryosphere
@erc.europa.eu #ERC_SIESTA
📢 PLEASE RT

Experimental:
🧬 Single cell microbial activity measurements, flow cytometry, omics, biogeochem

Modelling:
🖥️ Bioenergetics, thermodynamics, ecological, biogeochem

☀️ Marseille, France
‼️ Apply by 30 Sept

Investigating the Atmospheric Microbial Ecosystem Through Theory, Bioenergetics, and Numerical Modeling: A Breath of Fresh Air for Aeromicrobiology Aerobiology research is hindered by several technical challenges facing experimental studies, sampling, and monitoring strategies Theoretical approaches and numerical modeling tools provide power...

Expertly led by @drmartinezrabert.bsky.social at @mioceanologie.bsky.social w @greening.bsky.social @jackiegoordial.bsky.social & others

🙏 @hfspo.bsky.social aeromicrobiome project RGY0058/2022‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

@erc.europa.eu #ERC_SIESTA @agencerecherche.bsky.social @cnrs.fr

tinyurl.com/7pdfm7uw

Walking over millions of years of history, preserved in Svalbard’s rocks. Not a bad haul so far 🍃🪸
#ERC_SIESTA

Friday nights in the field lab: incubations running. #ERC_SIESTA fieldwork Svalbard
@reymourot.bsky.social @drmartinezrabert.bsky.social @mioceanologie.bsky.social

L-R: Sibylle Lebert, Rey Mourot, Eloi Martinez-Rabert & James Bradley. ERC SIESTA fieldwork, Svalbard. July 2025. Credit: Sibylle Lebert

L-R: Sibylle Lebert, Rey Mourot, Eloi Martinez-Rabert & James Bradley. ERC SIESTA fieldwork, Svalbard. July 2025. Credit: Sibylle Lebert

Scheteligfjellet, viewed from Tvillingvatnet, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

Team #ERC_SIESTA in Svalbard ❄️🧬🐻‍❄️🦠🏔️🌎🔬
@reymourot.bsky.social @drmartinezrabert.bsky.social @mioceanologie.bsky.social

Authors Laura Molares Moncayo (left) and James Bradley (right) on Austre Brøggerbreen glacier, Svalbard, in February 2025. Credit: James Bradley

And thanks to our funders including @erc.europa.eu projects #ERC_SIESTA and CoEvolve, Italy’s MUR/PRA Melting-ICE, Winter-CZ, NERC SUN SPEARS & Arctic Research Station Access Scheme, France’s @agencerecherche.bsky.social ANR23-CPJ1-0172-01 & @hfspo.bsky.social RGY0058/2022‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Saturday nights in Svalbard after a day on the glacier 🧑‍🔬🕺❄️ #ERC_SIESTA @reymourot.bsky.social @drmartinezrabert.bsky.social

Institut Origines telescope & ICOS 100m tower, Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France

I'm at @cnrs-insu.bsky.social Observatoire de Haute-Provence, teaching on the Institut Origines International Summer School 'The Frontiers of Life' @univ-amu.fr
Tomorrow I'm teaching: microbial life in the cold, low energy/power & dormancy ❄️🦠⚡😴🔭 #ERC_SIESTA

Rey Mourot presents the ERC-funded SIESTA project at JSM3 2025 in Marseille

Eloi Martinez Rabert presents the HFSP-funded Atmospheres project at JSM3 2025 in Marseille

Sibylle Lebert presents the ERC-funded SIESTA project at JSM3 2025 in Marseille

Congrats to @drmartinezrabert.bsky.social @reymourot.bsky.social & Sibylle Lebert @mioceanologie.bsky.social for representing @erc.europa.eu #ERC_SIESTA & @hfspo.bsky.social Atmosphere projects at JSM3 conference in Marseille ☀️ while I’m in Antarctica 🌚 #SD049 @cnrs.fr @cnrs-insu.bsky.social

Bradley, J.A. Microbial dormancy as an ecological and biogeochemical regulator on Earth. Nat Commun 16, 3909 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59167-6

Thanks for reading 🙏🦠❄️🌊
Funded by @erc.europa.eu as part of the #ERC_SIESTA project.
This work is dedicated to Jan Amend, whose work & ideas transformed our understanding of microbial life in the environment, and who energized, united & strengthened a community that have advanced these ideas 🙏

#ERC_SIESTA
@lcbofficiel.bsky.social
@mioceanologie.bsky.social
@reymourot.bsky.social

First #ERC_SIESTA glacier samples on the new Cytek Aurora CS cell sorter 🦠❄️🔬🧑‍🔬🤩 at @lcbofficiel.bsky.social @mioceanologie.bsky.social
@reymourot.bsky.social

A pleasure to host Catherine Larose @cnrs.fr and her lab at @mioceanologie.bsky.social for data analyses and discussion of polar and atmospheric geomicrobiology, dormancy, biogeochemistry & ice nucleation, plus of course a game of pétanque and a swim in the Mediterranean Sea ❄️🧬🌊🦠☀️🔬 #ERC_SIESTA

M2 internship 2025-2026: Investigating Microbial Dormancy responses to stress cycles in the cryosphere Supervisors: James A. BRADLEY (james.bradley@mio.osupytheas.fr) and Rey MOUROT (rey.mourot@mio.osupytheas.fr)

📢 6-month paid Masters internship available with me and @reymourot.bsky.social
Investigating Microbial Dormancy Responses to Stress Cycles in the Cryosphere ❄️🦠🧬😴🌡️
Join us in beautiful Marseille @mioceanologie.bsky.social ☀️🌊⛰️🇫🇷
#ERC_SIESTA
Apply by 15 April
RT
Link 👇
euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/329851

Meanwhile our research continues - here we’re measuring gas composition of the snowpack of Austre Brøggerbreen glacier. Shallow snow with many ice layers, telling us that today’s warmth and rain hasn’t been a one-off. Working in the few hours of low light and otherwise in total darkness #ERC_SIESTA

A rich two days of microbes, ice cores, dormancy, glaciers, and fondue in Grenoble #ERC_SIESTA