Graduate studies

The Case Lab welcomes applications from both PhD and Master’s candidates. Projects available are listed below.

The research at the Case Lab focuses on microbial interactions, particularly those linked to marine phototrophs. For a detailed project list, please scroll below.

Emails of interest should be addressed to Assoc. Prof Rebecca Case and should include:

  • A copy of your latest CV

  • University transcripts (including grades)

International applicants will also require:

  • A GRE or GATE score (with 3 years of validity)

  • OR a Master’s from NUS or NTU

For further application details, please visit,

For PhD candiates:

For Master’s (Research) candidates:

Several scholarships are available for PhD candidates. These include:

Graduate studies project list

Nutritional based bacterial-algal symbiosis

Algae are a rich source of protein, essential fatty acids and vitamins which make them an important sustainable food source. The Case lab has developed a small volume screening methodology and is funded through SFS and ASTAR to optimise the protein and nutritional content of algae. We also use -omic approaches to determine the molecular and chemical underpinning of bacterial stimulation of algal health and nutrition.

 

Apoptotic like - programmed cell death (AL-PCD) in Emiliania huxleyi

AL-PCD in E. huxleyi was first thought to be a response to viruses, however, the Case research team have shown it is a response to bacterial infection. Current research is focused on elucidating the cellular and genetic interaction between E. Huxleyi and various Roseobacteraceae species.

 

Singapore’s seagrass meadows

Meadows are an important coastal habitat in Singapore as they protect our coastline from rising sea level and are a site for blue carbon storage. Graduate projects will focus on the seagrass microbiome, and the microbial community that coats its above and below ground structures. Of particular interest are the roles of the microbiome in protecting seagrasses from disease, biogeochemical cycling and nutrient based symbiosis. 

 

Chemical ecology in trophic interactions

Macro and micro algae are essential in marine ecosystems as primary producers and habitat forming species. Algae are known to communicate with bacterial and eukaryote microbes through a sophisticated lexicon of biologically produced chemicals, or bioactives. The Case lab is interested in both the discovery and determining the biological activity of bioactive molecules which play a role in trophic interactions that impact the microbial loop.