Microfluidic and "Organ-on-a-Chip" technologies to probe the interplay between soil-dwelling organisms.

Dr Claire Stanley is a Lecturer (US equivalent: Assistant Professor) in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London. Claire's research focuses on developing microfluidic or "Organ-on-a-Chip" technologies to probe the interplay between soil-dwelling organisms at the single cell level. This technique has a great potential to provide a unique view of biological events at the level of single organisms and cells by enabling precise environmental control, high-resolution dynamic imaging, the simulation of environmental complexity and affording quantitative information. We are involved in projects positioned at the interface between bioengineering, microbiology and plant biology, including the study of bacterial-fungal interactions at the single cell level, the defence response of fungi upon predation by nematodes and the adaptation of plant roots towards environmental asymmetry.