The Ferrari Lab

The Ferrari lab is an environmental microbiology lab based out of UNSW's School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. We specialise in developing innovative cultivation techniques, and integrating ‘omics’ techniques to uncover the microbial ecology of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic deserts.

Professor Belinda Ferrari

Lab Founder

School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences,
Faculty of Science,
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

BIOGRAPHY

I am a Professor in Environmental Microbiology in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, and I am currently the Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Science. Previously, I was Deputy Head of School and the Director of Research in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. I specialise in uncovering Antarctica’s soil microbial biodiversity and perform discovery-based and applied research. I am passionate about training the next generation of confident scientists, being awarded the Vice-Chancellors Award for Excellence in Higher Degree Research Supervision in 2021. I have supervised >23 Honours, 5 Mphil and 21 HDR students to completion with my student’s gaining employment across both academia and industry. Through my collaborations with NASA, the Australian Antarctic Division and the Botanic Gardens Domain Trust in Sydney, there are opportunities for Industry-linked PhDs in my team.

RESEARCH IN DETAIL

My research focuses on exploring microbial dark matter and microbial processes in cold desert environments. I have built up strong partnerships across both the Biotechnology industry and government bodies in Australia and Internationally. My research has real-world applications, driving remediation targets, guideline derivation and conservation efforts in Antarctica. My research integrates 'omics' with innovative cultivation methods to isolate and describe the diversity and functional capacity of 'extreme' microbial communities. By doing so, my team discovered a previously overlooked carbon fixation process where  bacteria literally ‘live on thin air’. We coined this microbial-based process ‘atmospheric chemosynthesis’ and published these findings in the prestigious journal Nature. I also investigate the applicability of using microbes as indicators of soil health, for the assessment of ecosystem recovery during hydrocarbon bioremediation and for the development of site-specific ecotoxicity assessments. My future goals are to continue to challenge our understanding of the nutritional limits and the boundaries of life, while training the next generation of confident scientists.

For more information on my publications and research student opportunities please see below:

https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/belinda-ferrari

https://twitter.com/ferrari_belinda