When the foundation launched the Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative in 2019, we acknowledged that to better understand the evolution, ecology and mechanisms of interaction for marine and freshwater symbioses, a wide range of experts would need to be engaged in the process. With this opportunity and challenge in mind, we aim to build a new community of scientists with a shared understanding of the motivating scientific questions, tools, methods, data resources and theory to pursue investigation of marine and freshwater symbiotic interactions.
An important component of building a new community is our Aquatic Symbiosis Community Dashboard, a platform that consolidates information about the research we have funded. The dashboard displays grant details and research products in an accessible way, providing the ability to more efficiently track progress and learn about how experts we support in this expanding area of science are:
- Advancing conceptual models.
- Building new tools to enable discovery.
- Innovating with new research methods.
- Making new data resources available.
Over a 10-year period, we intend to invest $194 million to create a new interdisciplinary field on the study of aquatic symbiosis partnerships. Through the dashboard, you can learn more about our community of researchers and explore their research results. You will be able to learn about the work funded across the initiative’s portfolios:
- Investigators program. An international cohort of 15 scientists who received multiple years of unrestricted support to pursue innovative, risky research that has high potential for significant conceptual and experimental advances.
- Symbiosis model systems. Supports development of new model associations of freshwater and marine organisms through new gene editing, culturing and microscopy techniques.
- Multidisciplinary projects. Collaborative projects that embrace the challenge of bringing disciplines together and adapting technologies and methods from other areas of science to aquatic symbiosis research.
- Origin of the eukaryotic cell. In partnership with the Simons Foundation, we support novel research to clarify the events that led to the emergence of eukaryotes almost two billion years ago.
- Genome sequencing. The Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics Project seeks to provide reference quality genome sequences needed to answer myriad questions about the ecology and evolution of aquatic symbioses.
- Symbiosis theory. Supports development of new concepts and mathematical models of symbiosis evolution and how evolutionary dynamics are influenced by ecological relationships and the unique nature of life underwater.
- Technology and resources. Efforts that are creating tools, methods and resources of value to the broader aquatic symbiosis research community.
- Advanced training courses. Designed to broaden the aquatic symbiosis community, courses welcome participants from multiple disciplines and introduce new perspectives and experimental approaches to the field.
We invite you to explore the dashboard and learn about how the projects we support are making important strides.
Message sent
Thank you for sharing.