Kate won support from L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program

Since 1998, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program supports talented female scientists. We proudly announce that our Kate Kopalová is among the awardees this year! The funding will allow her to analyse microbial communities of soils she sampled along a natural temperature gradient on volcanic Deception Island in Antarctica. Due to the harsh conditions of Antarctica, local ecosystems and communities are relatively simple, which makes it easier to disentangle the influence of different environmental parameters on resident biota. Along with the natural temperature gradient powered by geothermal energy, this can be used as a natural experiment, allowing us to disentangle the influence of temperature on the diversity and assembly processes of microbial communities in Antarctica. Check the video here to learn more!