Debashish Bhattacharya

Biography

I am currently working as a Distinguished Professor in Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology in Rutgers University

Research Interest

The primary research interests of our highly collaborative lab are algal evolution, endosymbiosis, and marine biodiversity using modern tools of genomics and bioinformatics. We study the origin of the photosynthetic organelle, the plastid, in diverse algae and aim to understand how organelles are integrated into host metabolism. On the biodiversity side, recently, we generated the first draft genome from an ecologically important, uncultured lineage of marine stramenopiles (MAST-4) using single cell genomics. These tools extend the exploration of biodiversity to novel uncultivated lineages isolated directly from nature. Other ongoing research involves the green alga Picochlorum and addresses the origin of halotolerance in this and related lineages through functional genomics and physiological studies. This alga is a candidate for biofuel production and the work addresses the controls of growth and photosynthesis in this species. Finally, we have recently embarked with multiple collaborators on a large-scale study of coral genome evolution, the origin and developmental control of biomineralization in this lineage, and coral interactions with their dinoflagellate symbionts.