Understanding how life
builds, uses, and passes on
its reaction compartments

How does life bring the right molecules together, organize spaces for chemical reactions, and pass them on to the next generation? We explore this question by studying the pyrenoid in microalgae. This membrane-free compartment supports photosynthesis inside the chloroplast. It forms through "phase separation," a process in which molecules gather into liquid-like droplets. We use the pyrenoid as a model to understand how life creates order.

We track how these reaction compartments change in shape and state, and how they are passed on during cell division. We also study how the CO₂-concentrating mechanism collects carbon from water and how this system is controlled. Our goal is to understand not only how molecules come together, but also how they keep working as matter and energy flow through the system. This includes how cells switch gene expression on and off in response to their environment.

By combining molecular and cell biology with physics and AI, we also develop tools to recognize differences between cells and isolate cells of interest. We investigate how environmental changes are linked to the evolutionary gain and loss of reaction compartments. From the lifetime of a cell to the history of evolution, we aim to uncover common principles of life and apply them to improving photosynthesis and designing artificial reaction compartments.