This Ph.D. project aims to understand the molecular basis of extreme stress tolerance in the microscopic extremotolerant animal the bdelloid rotifer Adineta vaga, which is able to survive complete desiccation, freezing, and high doses of ionizing radiation. Since oxidative stress is known to be one of the major causative factors for damages and death during these extreme stresses, the goal is to understand various antioxidant mechanisms employed in Adineta vaga.

Rohan will present the results of his PhD thesis, conducted in the Department of Biology - Unité de Recherche en Biologie environnementale et evolutive (URBE) and at the Université Libre de Bruxelles under the supervision of Karine Van Doninck, Vinciane DEBAILLE, Emilien NICOLAS