Penny (Yu-Jing) Chiou

I am a PhD student fascinated by the interaction between microbes and their invertebrate hosts. I moved to Australia for my PhD after I finished my master's degree in Taiwan studying coral microbiology.

Supervised by: Torsten Thomas

Project Title: N2O production by marine sponges

Project Description: My research focuses on understanding and quantifying nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, produced by marine sponges. Sponges are widespread, ecologically important benthic organisms that play key roles in nutrient cycling in the ocean. They harbour diverse and abundant microbial communities that drive many of these processes behind the scenes. I aim to determine whether sponges are a source of N₂O and to uncover the microbial mechanisms behind its production