Prof. Lars Peter Nielsen wants to understand how cable bacteria works. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in microbial ecology at Aarhus University, where he has stayed for the most of his research carrier. He has mainly used microsensors, microscopes and stable isotopes to study the activity and behavior of bacteria in natural and experimental systems.
The studies of cable bacteria originated from the unexpected discovery in 2010 of electric currents in the seabed and today he is vicehead of the DNRF Center of Excellence for Electromicrobiology, CEM. At CEM, a large, interdisciplinary team study cable bacteria with focus on the unique electronic, electrochemical, structural, physiological, and ecological implications of their possession of centimetre-long internal electrical wires. CEM also addresses other topics in electromicrobiology and follows up on potential applications in electronics and in industrial and environmental biotechnology.
