Understanding biological systems with chemometrics
My name is Francesc Puig-Castellví and I am a postdoctoral researcher at European Genomic Institute for Diabetes in Lille, France. My long-term research is focused on deciphering how microbiomes respond to perturbations of any kind.
To do so, I collect omics data representative of these microbiomes and I analyze them with chemometrics (the science of extracting information from chemical systems by data-driven means). Aiming to obtain the maximum relevant information from the data, l also develop my own data analysis tools and workflows. I am particularly interested in the development of methods for the analysis of metabolomics data, and of methods capable to combine and integrate data from different sources (multi-omics data analysis).
My CV
THE BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
I am interested in the study of microbial communities. I investigate the human gut microbiome to understand how it interacts with our bodies and, in consequence, with our health.
I have also explored the microbiome from anaerobic digesters, which are big tanks where waste is converted into biogas by microorganisms living under anaerobic conditions. In this project, I looked at how the microorganisms in the digesters were affected by perturbations (i.e. change of temperature, presence of a microbial growth inhibitor) and how this translated to a change in the digesters’ biogas production.
I am keen on inspecting other systems as well. During my research life, I have worked with cultures of single microbial species, fish, and serum and urine from human. Last, I have even investigated non-biological systems. For example, I have studied how molecules in a chemical mixture interacted differently among them on basis to the mixture’s conditions (i.e. the effect of the ionic strength, pH,…).
THE DATA
In my work, I always try to use data as varied as possible. I have invsetigated data obtained with very different analytical platforms, mainly multivariate data (NMR spectroscopy, HPLC-MS, GC-MS, 16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics, NIR hyperspectral imaging, 3D EEM fluorescence) but also univariate (pH, temperature, DOC, COD, NH4 concentration…). Most of the data I used was acquired by myself, except for some collaboration studies.
Skills
Critical thinking
Problem solving
Biochemistry
Analytical chemistry
Communication
Data cleaning
Data visualization
Machine learning
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