Work in the HEAL group is supported by an ANR JCJC, “PanArctica” (Projet-ANR-21-CE02-0014), awarded 2021-2025.The Arctic Ocean is set apart from all other oceans due to being encircled by land, its extreme environment, and its distinct ecosystem, characterised by strong seasonal succession. Anthropogenic climate change is rapidly changing the Arctic Ocean into a warmer, fresher habitat, and understanding the biological communities that support the Arctic is urgent for projecting its future robustness.The data obtained from this project will provide in-depth insights into the functional biology of an important and rapidly changing oceanic habitat. In the long term, these may allow more refined understanding of which species will proliferate in the future Arctic Ocean. In addition, proteins identified that confer temperature, salinity and photo-tolerance in Arctic native species may be explored as candidates for improving the productivity and robustness of biofuels and other cultivable crop species. 

Work in the HEAL Group is supported by a JGI Community Sequencing Programme grant, "the Haptophyte Pan-Genome", awarded 2022."The Haptophyte Genome Project" aims to expand the phylogenetic breadth of sequenced Haptophyte genomes, particularly freshwater samples. The Haptophytes are an ancient and complex lineage of eukaryotic algae of immense ecological importance, forming the second most significant contribution to planetary eukaryotic photosynthesis after diatoms [1, 2]. Sequencing genomes and transcriptomes of phylogenetically diverse haptophytes and relevant outgroups will address long-standing questions pertaining to: 1) the phylogenetic framework and genomic diversity of species selected from freshwater, salty continental and marine environments, 2) the transition of haptophytes between marine and freshwater systems, 3) the phylogenetic composition of the haptophyte genome with particular regard to its chloroplast, 4) key components involved in biomineralization, alkenone biosynthesis, and toxin production, 5) cellular machinery associated with mixotrophy, and 6) prevalence of pan-genomes, relevant to a heating ocean.