The Jiménez Lab at UniAndes (Microbiomes and Bioenergy Research Group)

About us: Our research group is part of the Biological Sciences Department at Universidad de los Andes. The main goal of our research lies on the ecological and enzymological understanding of natural and/or engineered microbiomes. We work within the fields of synthetic and applied microbial ecology. Specifically, we are interested to unveil mechanisms, interactions, dynamics and metabolic potential of plant biomass-degrading microbial communities. For this purpose, we used enrichment strategies (e.g. top-down and bottom-up), omic techniques, biochemical assays and culture-depend methods. Our Lab seeks to generate high quality contributions that could improve specific processes within biorefineries, valorizing agricultural waste. However, we are interested to explore new collaborations and research perspectives related to microbiomes analysis, ecological models and theories, and the application of this knowledge to improve biotechnological processes.

Last publications:

- Dilution-to-Stimulation/Extinction Method: a Combination Enrichment Strategy To Develop a Minimal and Versatile Lignocellulolytic Bacterial Consortium (2020). Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

- Introducing the Mangrove Microbiome Initiative: Identifying Microbial Research Priorities and Approaches To Better Understand, Protect, and Rehabilitate Mangrove Ecosystems (2020). mSystems.

- Exploring the Lignin Catabolism Potential of Soil-Derived Lignocellulolytic Microbial Consortia by a Gene-Centric Metagenomic Approach (2020). Microbial Ecology.