Welcome to the Volland Lab

Microbial Complexity - Cellular Evolution - Giant Bacteria - Environmental Microbiology

We uncover hidden complexity in the microbial world. Our research challenges long-standing assumptions about bacteria, revealing novel forms of cellular organization, giant bacteria, and the evolutionary innovations that bridge simple and complex life. Using cutting-edge microscopy, genomics, and cultivation, we explore how unseen microbial diversity shapes the story of life on Earth.

More about our research

News & Events

Media coverage of our giant bacteria paper

credit: T. Tyml

Latest Publications

A novel open-source cultivation system helps establish the first full cycle chemosynthetic symbiosis model system involving the giant ciliate Zoothamnium niveum

Chemosynthetic symbioses are widespread and ecologically relevant, but have lacked tractable model systems. Zoothamnium niveum and its sulfur-oxidizing symbionts now represent the first and only chemosynthetic symbiosis that can be reliably and easily cultivated across generations in the lab. We developed an open-source, low-cost, flow-through cultivation system that enables long-term maintenance without continuous field sampling, paving the way for Z. niveum to become a standardized model for studying host–microbe interactions.