MIO – Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography – Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology

Key Figures

• 31 researchers or university professors and associate professors
• 13 engineers and technicians
• 15 PhD students and post-docs

The MIO research laboratory is a component of the OSU-Pytheas Institute and is under the joint direction of Aix-Marseille University, Toulon University, the CNRS and the IRD.

Our goal is to better understand the oceanic system and its evolution in response to global changes. The MIO constitutes a center of expertise in marine biology, ecology, biodiversity, microbiology, halieutics, physics, chemistry, biogeochemistry and sedimentology. Our working environment is the world ocean, alongside its continental, atmospheric and sediment interfaces.

The 5 teams composing the MIO include a staff of 250 people, with about hundred university professors and associate professors and researchers (CNRS, IRD), about fifty engineers and technicians, more than seventy PhD students and post-docs, and an administrative team supporting research.

Research

The research interest of the « Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology » team, which belongs to the IM2B Institute, focuses on understanding the role of the bacterial component in marine ecosystems. The goal of its researchers is to integrate metabolisms from microorganisms into the functioning of the biogeochemical cycles within natural and anthropically disturbed marine ecosystems by either organic and metallic contaminations or global climate change-induced perturbations. Special focus is given to microorganism relationships and these perturbations.

• Characterization of the microbial biodiversity in marine ecosystems
• Identification of the metabolic pathways and molecular mechanisms that allow microorganisms to adapt to specific environmental conditions, including extreme and contaminated conditions
• Understanding their role and effects on ecosystem functions
• Characterization of microbial metabolism diversity to develop monitoring biomarkers and biotechnological processes for bioenergy and the bioremediation of contaminated environments.

The team is composed of 31 researchers or university professors and associate professors, 13 engineers and technicians and 15 PhD students and post-docs.