Chakkiath Paul Antony, Ph.D.

Research Scientists

​Research Scientist

Research Interests

Dr. Antony's research is focused on applying bioinformatic approaches for the identification and characterization of key microbial players in the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in the Red Sea. He uses shotgun meta'omics' data also for unraveling the evolutionary divergences as well as convergences in the metabolism of marine microbes (free-living) and invertebrate-associated microbes (symbionts). He is very interested in solving metabolic puzzles or exploiting metabolic reconstructions from 'omics' techniques so as to better understand microbial physiology in the marine environment. 

Selected Publications

  • Fueled by methane: deep-sea sponges from asphalt seeps gain their nutrition from methane-oxidizing symbionts 
    M Rubin-Blum, CP Antony, L Sayavedra, C Martínez-Pérez, D Birgel, ...
    ISME Journal 1, (2019)
  • Short-chain alkanes fuel mussel and sponge Cycloclasticus symbionts from deep-sea gas and oil seeps 
    M Rubin-Blum, CP Antony, C Borowski, L Sayavedra, T Pape, H Sahling, ...
    Nature Microbiology 2:17093, (2017)
  • Microbiology of Lonar Lake and other soda lakes 
    CP Antony, D Kumaresan, S Hunger, HL Drake, JC Murrell, YS Shouche
    ISME Journal 7 (3), 468, (2013)
  • Molecular diversity of methanogens and identification of Methanolobus sp. as active methylotrophic Archaea in Lonar... 
    CP Antony, JC Murrell, YS Shouche
    FEMS Microbiology Ecology 81, 43-51, (2012)
  • Methylophaga lonarensis sp. nov., a moderately haloalkaliphilic methylotroph isolated from the soda lake sediments ... 
    CP Antony, NV Doronina, R Boden, YA Trotsenko, YS Shouche, ...
    International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 62, 16131618, (2012)
  • Active methylotrophs in the sediments of Lonar Lake, a saline and alkaline ecosystem formed by meteor impact 
    CP Antony, D Kumaresan, L Ferrando, R Boden, H Moussard, AF Scavino, ...
    ISME Journal 4 (11), 1470, (2010)

Education

  • Ph.D.; Bi­o­tech­no­logy, Na­tional Centre for Cell Sci­ence (NCCS), Uni­versity of Pune, Pune, In­dia, 2013 ​
  • M.Sc.; Bi­o­tech­no­logy, Cochin Uni­versity of Sci­ence & Tech­no­logy (CUSAT), Ko­chi, In­dia, 2007

Professional Profile

  • ​2019-Present: Research Scientist, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • 2017-2019: Postdoctoral Fellow, Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • 2015-2016: Max Planck Society (MPG) Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
  • 2013-2015: Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany

Awards

  • ​Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (for postdoctoral research)
  • ISME Early-Mid Career Ambassadorship (2019-2022)

KAUST Affiliations

  • ​Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
  • Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE)

Research Interests Keywords

​Marine microbiology Microbial bioinformatics Marine symbioses Extremophiles Bacterial metabolism Methanotrophs/methylotrophs