XL CICLO | Ajay Valiyaveettil Salimkumar

Ajay Valiyaveettil Salimkumar, born in North Paravur, India, on 22.09.1999, studied ‘Fisheries and Aquaculture’ at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (India), where he graduated in 2022. In 2022, he obtained the prestigious Erasmus Mundus Joint Master fellowship from the European Union to pursue a master’s degree in ‘Marine Environment’ (University of Basque Country, Spain). He completed his training at various institutions, including the University of Bordeaux (France), University of Liege; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium), Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (Germany), and the Norwegian Polar Institute (Norway). Since 2024, he has been a Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Ph.D. student enrolled in the course “Ecology and Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources” at the University of Tuscia, Italy.

His research interests are in the areas of microbiology and plankton ecology. In particular, he is interested in the study of the microbial communities linked to harmful algal blooms (HABs). He is also particularly interested in exploring the interplay between harmful algae and their microbial competitors/pathogens in the current context of climate change to biocontrol the possible HAB outbreaks.

Algae play an important role in water ecosystems, and our future can also increasingly depend on the presence of both desirable and undesirable algae. Desirable algae, such as seaweeds, contribute to environmental protection and have applications in food, biofuel production, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. In contrast, harmful algal blooms (HABs), caused by microscopic algae like cyanobacteria, diatoms, and dinoflagellates, can degrade water quality, harm aquatic life, and pose risks to human health. Moreover, both micro and macroalgae are susceptible to diseases caused by pathogens, including fungi, oomycetes, protists, bacteria, and viruses, which can significantly impair their growth and survival.

Therefore, this research aims to monitor the occurrence of HABs in selected freshwater environments in Italy and investigate the microbiotas associated with these blooms. The key objectives include identifying HAB species (e.g., Planktothrix spp.) and their microbiota using meta-barcode sequencing and culturing, isolating non-toxigenic HAB strains, and studying interactions between cyanobacteria and their microbial competitors or pathogens. Additionally, the study will explore the potential exploitation of algal pathogens for the biological control of HABs.