PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems

A collaboration @SimonsFdn which investigates the principles underpinning the self-organization, structure, and function of #microbial communities in the #ocean

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

We gladly introduce PriME, an international and interdisciplinary collaboration which aims to derive fundamental principles of how microbial ecosystems assemble and function, with a primary focus on #marinemicrobes and #carboncycling 🦠🌊

Stay tuned!👀

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

❓Can we predict ocean carbon cycling by looking at what microbes do rather than who they are?🌊

During his PhD in PriME, Ryan Reynolds explored this question by combining global metagenomic with metabolic modeling 😀

Check out his last publication 👇
https://t.co/Ao2tRpHh5a

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

🌊 Are bacterial attachments to phytoplankton just microscopic travel companions — or a key driver of marine ecosystem functioning? 🦠

PriME alumnus Mathieu Forget explores this question in a new review 👏👇

https://t.co/4C4f67UbJO

[Sammy Pontrelli @sammy_pontrelli]

We're hiring a new postdoc! Are you experienced in genetically modifying non-model microbes? Do you have experience in leading a molecular level project, possibly dealing with metabolism? Then this is perfect for you!

https://t.co/56jHy1KHt9

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

Congratulations to Astrid Stubbusch for receiving the Prix Schläfli 2026 in Biology for her outstanding PhD work made in PriME 😉 👏😃🦠

Amazing achievement, Astrid — so well deserved!

https://t.co/WPnwn4cOXA

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

Welcome to PriME, Dieter! 🎉

Dieter joins the Orphan Lab @OrphanANME as a Postdoc, working at the interface of microbiology, biophysics & fluid dynamics to study microbial interactions and processes like marine snow formation 🦠🌊

Great to have you on board 🤗!

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

It's time to say goodbye to @JonaszSlomka — a PriME member since the early days 👏

He will start his own #bioencounters lab at the University of Warsaw, exploring microbial interactions at the physics–biology interface 🦠.

All the best for this exciting new chapter! 🚀

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

PriME members in Zurich gathered last week for the PriME Mini-Symposium!
Interactive poster sessions, review paper discussions, and plenty of networking made for a lively afternoon of science and collaboration 🤗
Thanks to everyone who joined! 🌊🦠

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

Most marine bacteria never find a food particle. Some do—and that’s enough 😉

A PriME team uncovers stochastic resilience: rare, high-reward encounters sustain bacterial populations in nutrient-poor oceans.🌊🦠

Out now in @PNASNews !
https://t.co/37htmLyjHi

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

🔥Hot off the press!

❓ How do bacteria get iron when nutrients are scarce and constantly washed away❓

A PriME collective effort reveals—using a new continuous culture device—how bacteria acquire iron under rapid nutrient renewal, beyond #siderophores.

https://t.co/6JvBg4v3hG

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

❓Does low phosphate help keep carbon locked in fucoidan rather than recycled by bacteria❓

A PriME fellow from the @HehemannJan lab explored this question in a study just published on @NatureMicrobiol 🤗⬇️

https://t.co/KcTEo3Je6M

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

We say goodbye to Jeremy, who joined PriME as a PhD student and leaves as a Postdoc — he has been an active and valued part of our community. He now continues his journey @umces, studying viral removal rates in marine ecosystems 🦠🌊

Thank you - and all the best, Jeremy 🤗!

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

A warm PriME welcome to Richard!🎉

Richard joined the Hwa Lab @UCSanDiego as a new Postdoc, exploring how physiological variation within bacterial species shapes their evolution 🧫🔬.

We’re excited to have you with us!
https://t.co/pCZ3lHO2GY

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

Welcome to the PriME team, Eliane! 🎉

Eliane has just joined @theStockerLab @ETH_en as a new PhD student, exploring how microbial processes shape the ocean’s carbon cycle 🌊🦠.

We’re thrilled to have you on board!
🔗 https://t.co/DaiWg8TXs0

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

We gathered this week for our Annual Meeting in NYC - three days of inspiring exchange!✨

This year, we introduced group work sessions for review papers🗒️to reflect and synthesize our interdisciplinary work😀

Thank you to all participants and @SimonsFdn for the support!

[Otto X. Cordero @oxcordero]

And finally, I am proud to be able to share the work of my dear student Gabriel Vercelli and a collaboration with my (also dear) MIT colleague Ariel Furst @afurst1. This technology can open new avenues for microbiome engineering.
https://t.co/uu7915Lkn4

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

Congratulations to all authors, including our PriME fellows 🤗

[Richard J. Henshaw @HenshawLab]

Delighted to share our latest work published in Science Advances - led by PhD student Sophie Zweifel, this study characterises a new life phase in coccolithophores and opens up our understanding of the complex microbial interactions driving algae blooms

https://t.co/P23jvLOOK3

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

❓How do microbes that can’t make their own vitamins survive in the ocean? 🌊🦠

In this new paper, @RachelGregorPhD and fellow PriME members uncover the role of B vitamin auxotrophies in microbial communities.

👇Check it out 😀
https://t.co/SGWhCpTNCt

[Otto X. Cordero @oxcordero]

The degradation of complex macromolecules in the ocean is only possible when microbes work together. An emergent division of labor controls a key process in the carbon cycle. Latest preprint with the Andi Sichert and the Sauer lab.

🔗 https://t.co/nJEe4xU4Hd

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

❓What if microbes share not just small metabolites, but also complex molecules that shape community assembly? 🦠

@sammy_pontrelli and co-authors explored this question in a new collaborative PriME study 😃

Learn more about it 👇
https://t.co/C0f4k0j98N

[PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @PriME_SimFdn]

PriME Dr. #5 in 2025 is Gabriel from the @oxcordero lab!
He successfully defended his thesis "Shaping Function Through Space: The Role of Spatial Organization in Microbial Communities" 🧑‍🎓🥳
Thank you Gabriel for your collaborative spirit and contribution to our community 🦠🌊🤗