The overarching aim of my research is to explain how CO2 availability affects mixed microbial communities: productivity of phototrophs, their trophic and environmental interactions, and impacts on the community diversity and evolution. I use cyanobacteria as a model system because they are principal oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, which evolved into CO2-rich environment, gave rise to all other photosynthetic organisms and oxidised Earth’s surface in geological time.
Selected Awards
2022-2025: Ministry of Science and Technology – Kamennaya NA & Keren N. Directed evolution of cyanobacteria to produce balanced food on Mars.
2022-2023: German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research (GIF) Young – Kamennaya, N.A.. Could water and nutrient retention of soil be enhanced by acidic cyanobacterial exopolysaccharides produced at flue gas CO2 concentrations?
2021-2023: Start-up BSF – Kamennaya N & Cohen M. Enhancing sequestration of heavy metals using exopolysaccharides produced by cyanobacteria grown at ultrahigh CO2 levels.