Associate Professor Erik Andersen of molecular biosciences at Northwestern University has received an award under the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program that will enable him to take his research abroad, forge new relationships and contribute to finding solutions to challenges both local and global.
Andersen was awarded a Global Scholar Award, which funds travel and research in three different countries for a total of six months.
Andersen’s research laboratory studies the genetics and genomics of adaptation of nematodes (or roundworms) to the environment. These worms are prevalent in all ecosystems and can be used to understand the effects of climate change when sampled over time. Andersen’s group has pioneered methods for isolation of thousands of nematode strains from nature.
In New Zealand, Andersen will collect nematodes from a variety of climates throughout the two major islands. This research will focus on how nematodes disperse in natural environments. In Taiwan, he will collect nematodes and fungi that eat nematodes. The project will focus on predatory-prey relationships between fungi and nematodes. In Chile, Andersen will collect nematodes and the bacteria found in the niche around the worms. This work will focus on the effects of the microbiome (associated bacteria) on growth, physiology and behavior.
“Selection as a Fulbright Global Scholar gives me unparalleled access and opportunity to learn about nematode evolution,” Andersen said.