A recent graduate of the PhD in Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship at USS and member of the Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory at Centro Ciencia & Vida, Dr. Dilanaz Arisan won the best poster award at the SMBE Satellite Meeting held in Puerto Varas, for a study exploring how salinity guides the genetic adaptation of bacteria from the Copahue volcanic complex.

Dilanaz Arisan, a recent graduate of the PhD in Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship at Universidad San Sebastián and a member of the laboratory of Dr. Raquel Quatrini, won the award for the best poster at the scientific meeting SMBE Satellite Meeting: Molecular Mechanisms of Adaptation and Experimental Evolution, held in October in Puerto Varas.

The event, organized by the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE), brought together national and international specialists to discuss advances in the study of the molecular mechanisms that underpin adaptation and evolution, in a context marked by the use of cutting-edge technologies such as high-throughput genomic sequencing.

Dr. Arisan's poster, titled “Genomic signatures of selection in Igneacidithiobacillus copahuensis populations along an environmental gradient,” showed results from her doctoral thesis developed under the guidance of Dr. Quatrini, in which the genetic adaptations of bacterial populations inhabiting the Copahue volcanic complex are analyzed. The study explores how salinity, temperature, and pH gradients influence the evolution of these microorganisms, revealing that salinity acts as the main selective force driving their genetic differentiation.

“Having received the award for the best poster at this congress was very gratifying. I presented some results from my doctoral thesis, and it was especially significant because the recognition came from top-level specialists in the area. I was very happy that the work sparked interest and was valued by such an outstanding scientific community,” commented the scientist.

The recognition obtained reflects the level of research developed in the PhD in Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship at USS, a program that promotes the training of researchers capable of addressing complex questions in biology and biotechnology from an interdisciplinary and applied perspective.

Original Text: María José Marconi J. Vice-Rectorate for Research and Doctorates USS.