Lab on chip sensors for benthic ecosystem process research – CLASS ECR fellowship

Blog author – Leah Brinch-Iversen

As a PhD student at Nordcee and at the Danish Centre for Hadal Research (HADAL), located at the University of Southern Denmark, my research primarily aims to investigate benthic carbon and nutrient cycling.

I plan to explore the dynamics in benthic nutrient and solute exchange, targeting sediment from shallow coastal zones to deep ocean trenches. I plan to also explore the use of Lab-On-Chip (LOC) sensor technology for in situ measurements at extreme hydrostatic pressure.

After starting my PhD in 2022, I was lucky to be awarded a CLASS ECR Fellowship that supported an extended research visit to the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton.

My visit centered around learning about the autonomous LOC sensors developed by the Ocean Technology Engineering team at NOC. Through my CLASS fellowship, I had the pleasure of working and learning from Dr Allison Schaap and Dr Anna Lichtschlag

I was also able to make the most of the English summer during my first week at NOC by going out into the field to collect sediment cores for subsequent laboratory experiments.

For the remainder of my visit, I tested the practical application of a range of LOCs for measuring highly variable nutrient fluxes under lab-controlled conditions. I also combined LOC and other sensor technology, such as microelectrodes, to quantify benthic nutrient fluxes and primary productivity.

I look forward to continuing this ongoing project and collaboration!