PI | ETH Zurich | [email protected]
Bio
Much of the research of the Stocker lab is centered on bacterial motility and chemotaxis and the interaction of these behaviors with fluid flow. Using microfluidics, advanced microscopy and image analysis, in combination with mathematical modeling, we seek to understand how fluid dynamics and behavior interact to shape the ecology of aquatic microbes and govern their contribution to global biochemical cycles. Our recent work has demonstrated the value of using optimal foraging theory to understand the behavior of bacteria as they exploit and disperse among marine particles, and shown that sinking enhances the degradation of marine particles by bacteria. We have also developed a series of novel microfluidics-based platforms to facilitate the analysis of microbial ecology, including a platform that allows automated Raman-activated sorting of microbial cells according to their ecological functions, and an in situ chemotaxis assay to study the behavior of aquatic microbial communities in the field.
Research Interests
Bacterial motility, Chemotaxis, Microfluidics, Microscopy, Modeling
