Rizlan Bernier-Latmani

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani is a Full Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Department of CE. Her research focuses on geomicrobiology, specifically the study of metal-microbe interactions in the subsurface, with applications in bioremediation, nuclear waste storage, and contaminant mobility. She is affiliated with the Environmental Microbiology Laboratory (EML) and holds roles in teaching and steering committees at EPFL. Her work includes uranium and arsenic biogeochemistry, microbial communities in terrestrial environments, and the role of Gram-positive bacteria in subsurface processes. She has taught courses on groundwater remediation, bioinformatics for microbial meta-omics, and microbiology for engineers.

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani is a Professor of Environmental Microbiology at EPFL, specializing in the interactions between microorganisms and contaminants in natural environments. Her research explores the behavior of metals such as uranium and silver in aquatic and subsurface systems, focusing on biogeochemical transformations and nanoparticle interactions. She investigates how microbial activity influences the speciation, mobility, and reactivity of these elements, with applications in environmental remediation. Her work also includes the study of bacterial enzymes and proteins involved in metal reduction and their impact on contaminant fate. Key areas of interest include microbial uranium reduction, silver nanoparticle toxicity, and the role of microbial metabolism in metal cycling.