Daniel Van der Lelie - F1000 Former Member (14 January 2010 to 23 December 2010)
Department of Biology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, USA
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION:Van der Lelie earned his PhD in mathematics and sciences with a specialization in biology from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, in 1989. He conducted postdoctoral research in molecular biology at Transgène in Strasbourg, France, and then joined SCK-CEN and subsequently the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), created out of SCK-CEN for all non-nuclear research activities. There he conducted basic, long-term research on the fundamental genetics of soil bacteria, particularly those resistant to heavy metals and other pollutants, as well as applied research on environmental management and remediation using plants and microbes.
RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Dr Van de Lelie's research at Brookhaven focuses on the development of new genomic tools to study the functioning of microorganisms, both on the level of the individual organism and on the level of complex microbial communities. This work is of direct importance to several societal issues, such as the cleanup of pollution, the production of bioenergy as an alternative for fossil fuels, and the identification of pathogenic bacteria.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:
• Characterization and application of plant associated microorganisms to improve plant biomass production and the phytoremediation of heavy metals and organic xenobiotics.
• Heavy metal resistance: lead and copper resistance in Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34.
• Diversity, structure, and functional interdependence of microbial communities.
• Hydrogen production using Thermatoga.
• Nanosciences: application of nucleic acids and proteins for the programmable assembly of nano-objects and the design of biosensor devices.
MEMBERSHIPS/AWARDS:
Member of ICOBTE
On editorial board for International Journal of Phytoremediation
Member of the BNL Council