Recent advances in sequencing technology and computational tools have generated heaps of bacterial and archaeal genome data, which include incredibly detailed sampling of model organisms as well as a continuous discovery and exploration of novel microbial lineages. The rapidly expanding diversity of the known biosphere, combined with the sheer amount of accumulated data, provide incredible opportunities for biological research.
The main goal of our team is to investigate fundamental questions in archaeal and bacterial biology. We integrate ‘omics’ data with evolutionary frameworks with the ambition to understand fundamental aspects of genome biology and evolutionary transitions, sometimes building tools that facilitate these analyses along the way. Current major themes in this team include:

What are the principles governing bacterial and archaeal genome architecture?
Classical genome analyses found common patterns that govern genome architecture across the tree of life, but unexplained cases exist, and large-scale analyses reveal major trends that remain to be understood.

What can the genomes of novel microbial lineages tell us about basic evolutionary processes?
A myriad archaeal and bacterial lineages have sprouted from genomic surveys in recent years. Much of their participation in the environment is still under investigation, and their genomes contain troves of untapped information about evolutionary processes. Adequately integrating these lineages in comprehensive models will be a absorbing endeavour for the coming decades.

What is the shape of the tree of life?
The expansion of the known diversity of life reveals misconceptions about the relationships between major groups. The discovery of new lineages, together with improvements on methodological challenges in phylogenomics, are reshaping the tree of life.