Lecturer, Faculty of Science
Gabrielle Zammit read for a B.Sc. and M.Sc. (with distinction) at the University of Malta and subsequently completed a Ph.D. in microbial Evolutionary Biology and Ecology. Her doctoral research was conducted at different European institutions including the University of Rome, the University of South Bohemia, the UK’s Natural History Museum and the Spanish National Research Council. Gabrielle
was awarded the prestigious title ‘Doctor Europaea’ (European Label) by the European University Association since her research satisfied stringent European doctoral standards established to ensure excellence in education.
For the past fifteen years, Gabrielle has lectured and supervised students enrolled in various undergraduate and postgraduate degrees both in Malta and abroad. She is currently a resident academic full-time lecturer with the Department of Biology of the Faculty of Science at the University of Malta, where she also leads the Microbiology and Applied Phycology Labs.
Her research interests include the molecular genetic characterisation of microorganisms, their biochemical processes and the microbial deterioration of substrates. She has isolated in culture a large number of bacteria and microalgae which grow in different habitats in Malta and is currently describing these as new genera and species since most are new to science. Her current research also deals with the extraction of new microbial products for application in biomedicine and industry.
Research interests:
Microbiology, Phycology, Microbial Diversity & Systematics, Microbial Deterioration of Substrates, Microbial Biochemistry, Microbial Genetics & Genomics, Microbial Metabolites.
Selected Publications:
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Zammit Gabrielle (2018) Systematics and biogeography of sciophilous cyanobacteria; an ecological and molecular description of Albertania skiophila (Leptolyngbyaceae) gen. & sp. nov. Phycologia 57: 481-491.
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Zammit Gabrielle (2016) A culture collection of Maltese microorganisms for application in biotechnology, biomedicine and industry. Xjenza 4:86-89.
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Micallef R., Vella D., Sinagra E., Zammit G. (2016). Biocalcifying Bacillus subtilis cells effectively consolidate deteriorated Globigerina Limestone. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology 43: 941-952.
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Zammit G., Billi D., Albertano P. (2012) The subaerophytic cyanobacterium Oculatella subterranea (Oscillatoriales, Cyanophyceae) gen. et sp. nov: a cytomorphological and molecular description. European Journal of Phycology 47: 341-354.
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Zammit G., Sanchez-Moral S., Albertano P. (2011) Bacterially mediated mineralisation processes lead to biodeterioration of artworks in Maltese catacombs. Science of the Total Environment 409: 2773-2782.
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Zammit G., Billi D., Shubert E., Kastovsky J., Albertano P. (2011). The biodiversity of subaerophytic phototrophic biofilms from Maltese hypogea. Fottea 11: 187-201.