I’m currently in the process of defining my exact thesis research question. Broadly, my focus is on biofilm growth dynamics within porous media and complex flow regimes. In practice, this means I’m reading widely across the field, exploring current research, and trying to understand the state of the art in biofilm growth dynamics, all the while trying to filter for a topic that has high practical impact.
A lichen is made up of both a fungus and either algae or cyanobacteria (microscopic single celled organisms that can photosynthesize). The fungus acts like a trellis for either photosynthesizing teammate to grow on, while the algae or cyanobacteria turn sunlight into a shared food source. – image named "Lichen forest" by Jim McCulloch , licensed under CC BY 2.0