Francois Ribalet

Last update June 2009

Postdoctoral Research Associate, ribalet at u.washington.edu

Research interests

My research mainly focuses on adaptation of diatoms to coastal and open ocean environments. I am interested in the molecular mechanisms of stress response in marine diatoms. Diatoms produce a wide range of molecules that allow them to adapt to various environmental conditions. I am particulalry interested in oxylipins (molecules produced from the oxidation of fatty acids), which are expected to play an important role in stress-related responses in diatoms. I am using a combination of physiological, molecular and ecological approaches to elucidate the function of these molecules in the diatom Pseudo-nitszchia multiseries.

Understanding how diatoms respond to different environments is limited, but not exclusively, by traditional discrete sampling approaches that typically average across large temporal and spatial scales. I am currently implementing the coordination of a new generation of flow cytometer (Seaflow) developed by Jarred Swalwell at the University of Washington, that perfoms underway measurements of abundance and structure of phytoplankton assemblage. This instrument offers continuous quantification of multidimensional characteritics (cell size, pigment content) for thousands of cells per second, including some diatoms, and allows me to address fine temporal and spatial distributions of diatoms in complex environmental gradients, such as at the transition zone between coastal and open-ocean waters. The continuous amount of data generated every day by SeaFlow requires the development of new analytical tools. Together with Dave Schruth, we are adapting a multivariate gating method that use advanced model-based clustering approach to automate the identification of phytoplankton populations and reduce the significant subjectivity and human time coast associated with it. 


Education

Publications

Patent