Promoting a mechanistic understanding of the chemical currencies in marine microbial ecosystems in the context of a changing planet and through increased participation in ocean sciences
Mission
The Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet (C-CoMP) leverages recent advances in analytical and data sciences, incorporates new ocean sampling technologies and an open-science framework, and engages scientists, educators, and policy-makers who bring a variety of expertise, experiences, and viewpoints to bear on promoting a deeper understanding and appreciation of the chemicals and microbial processes that underpin ocean ecosystems and other microbiomes that affect our daily life.
Visit our About webpage to learn more!
Connect with C-CoMP
#MTTM
Dr. Iva Veseli is a postdoc working with Dr. A. Murat Eren in the Ecosystem Data Science group at HIFMB Oldenburg. Within C-CoMP, Iva writes software to help answer core and fundamental questions about microbial ecology 🦠 using big sequencing datasets from the ocean 🌊 .
The software that Iva develops is used to analyze microbial sequencing data and generate hypotheses about microbial metabolic capacities for further exploration.
Iva is interested in all things microbial - spanning environments from the human gut to the water column - but is very interested in the coral microbiome; microbes are so important for corals 🪸, yet there is still so much we don`t know about the roles they play within corals!
#microbialecology #marinemicrobes #softwaredevelopment #sequencingdata #omics #metabolism #metaboliccapacity #oceanography #science #scienceandtechnology

#MTTM
Robert Li is a bioinformatic technician working with Dr. Rogier Braakman @mit_eaps. His work within C-CoMP integrates ‘omic data and biogeochemical data to understand how environmental forces have shaped the evolution of marine microbial metabolisms.
Robert’s interests toward understanding complex biological systems led him to C-CoMP, where he is using computational approaches to extract biological insights into marine microbiomes. He plans to bring the research skills he develops at C-CoMP to wherever he ends up next!
#bioinformatics #omics #marinemicrobes #biogeochemistry #evolution #metabolism #phylogeny #nichepartitioning #ocean #science #oceanography #scienceandtechnology

#MTTM
Graduate Student Helen Scott is a member of Daniel Segrè’s lab at Boston University. Helen is currently building a metabolic model of the marine bacterium Alteromonas macleodii and using models to understand carbon use efficiency in marine bacteria 🦠 🌊.
Helen is fascinated by the logic of cellular metabolism and is excited about how mathematical models can reveal its moment-to-moment dynamics.
Helen is also passionate about teaching modeling and systems thinking skills at the undergraduate level. She hopes to continue the curriculum development she started with C-CoMP in her next academic role.
#metabolicmodeling #genomescalemodel #systemsthinking #systemsbiology #alteromonas #cellular-metabolism #mathematicalmodels #marinebacteria #carbonuseefficiency #teaching #stemeducation #ocean #science #scienceandtechnology

And that’s a wrap 🎬!
Over the past two weeks, C-CoMP researchers braved stormy weather and rough seas to collect precious samples that will offer insights into the chemical-microbial network of the surface ocean 🌊 🦠🚢!
C-CoMP would like to offer a special shoutout 📣 to all the folks @biosstation, @whoi.ocean, and the crew and Captain of the @rvatlanticexplorer who made this research possible. Thank you for your guidance and support.
More photos, stories, and science to come - stay tuned!
Photos provided by Liz Kujawinski and Mak Saito.
#fieldwork #oceanography #science #marinemicrobes #metabolites #proteomics #genomics #phytoplankton #primaryproduction #carbon #researchcruise #sargassosea #rvatlanticexplorer #teamscience #nsffunded #scienceandtechnology

C-CoMP in the news
JANUARY 06, 2025
An abundant phytoplankton feeds a global network of marine microbes
MIT News
FEBRUARY 13, 2024
ASLO honors Elizabeth B. Kujawinski with the 2024 G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award
WHOI News Release
JANUARY 17, 2024
Digital Microbe: A genome-informed data integration framework for collaborative research on emerging model organisms
preLights
C-CoMP Fellowships
Science and Education Themes

Award Information and Disclaimer
C-CoMP is a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center (Award # 2019589) that is based at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this website are those of C-CoMP and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.