assistant professor

September 2002 - current Department of Biology, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

• Investigated regulation of secondary carotenoid accumulation in the unicellular green algae Dunaliella.
• Studies on the phylogeny of algal species of the genus Dunaliella.
• Examined processes involved in light-harvesting complex degradation in chloroplasts.

postdoctoral research

August 1997 - August 2002 Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA (advisor: Dr. A. Melis)

• Generated and isolated algal mutants: Characterized the photosynthetic apparatus organization and performance of the mutants.
• Investigated biosynthesis of high-value carotenoids in microalgae.
• Studies on maximizing the productivity of algal mass cultures.
• Investigated production of hydrogen by green algae.
• Analyzed the effect of different carbon sources on the photosynthetic apparatus organization and function.
• Studied acclimation of the photosynthetic apparatus to light stress.
• Investigated the recovery of the photosynthetic apparatus after light stress.

doctoral research

August 1994 - July 1997 Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany (advisor: Dr. W. Wiessner)

• Studied changes in the chlorophyll antenna size and inactivation of photosystem II upon dark incubation in green algae.
• Investigated the effect of DCMU on antenna and function of photosystem II.

research sabbatical

March and April 1996 Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Szeged, Hungary (advisor: Dr. S. Demeter)

• Analysis of the effects of acetate on photosystem II and photosystem I.

diplom research

July 1993 - July 1994 Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany (advisor: Dr. W. Wiessner)

• Studied the effect of different carbon sources on the photosystem II heterogeneity in unicellular green algae.
• Investigated the effect of translation inhibitors on the photosystem II heterogeneity in unicellular green algae.

research interests

Physiology of microalgae with an emphasis on regulation of photosynthesis:

• Signal transduction between nucleus and chloroplast.
• Regulation of light-harvesting complex formation and degradation.
• Assembly of photosynthetic complexes.

• Microalgal metabolism (esp. biosynthesis and physiology of carotenoids).
• Maximizing productivity of microalgal mass cultures.