Dr Sujatha Srinivas

Research Fellow
Biofilm Biology cluster, SCELSE

Email: sujatha.srinivas@ntu.edu.sg

Dr Sujatha Srinivas is a SCELSE Research Fellow in the Biofilm Biology cluster, under the supervision of A/Prof Rebecca Case. Her research focuses on seagrass microbiome, with the aim of understanding seagrass resilience under warming conditions and determining the role of microbiome in seagrass resilience. She is using physiological and molecular techniques as well as integrating laboratory and field studies to unravel the microbial interactions that underlie seagrass adaptation and ecosystem stability in the face of environmental challenges.

Prior to joining SCELSE, Sujatha undertook her PhD at the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Germany. Her doctoral research investigated the functional and ecological significance of secondary metabolites in microbial interactions in the marine environment, using model systems and compounds. She specifically focused on the role of signalling and antimicrobial compounds in bacteria-bacteria as well as bacteria-diatom interactions. Due to the highly interdisciplinary nature of her projects, she extensively performed bacterial and algal co-cultivation, physiological assays, mass spectrometry (HPLC and FT-ICR-MS), and genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and proteomic analyses.

Motivated by a deep commitment to environmental sustainability, and her long-term research goal of using microbiome and host-microbe interaction studies to address environmental challenges, Sujatha aims to apply her technical skillset and interdisciplinary collaborative spirit to pursue impactful research at SCELSE. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, climbing, martial arts and playing the violin. She has also been an active volunteer with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) India, particularly for reptile conservation and environmental literacy. Through her work at SCELSE, Sujatha aspires to contribute to the scientific understanding of microbiome interactions in seagrass and other ecosystems, providing insights that support their conservation and resilience in a rapidly changing world.