{"id":23,"date":"2026-04-28T12:35:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/home\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T11:21:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T11:21:06","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"vf-grid vf-grid__col-3 | vf-u-margin__bottom--800\">\n      <div class=\"vf-grid__col--span-2\">\n      <div class=\"vf-content-hub-html\">\n  <!-- Generated by: http:\/\/content.embl.org\/api\/v1\/pattern.html?filter-content-type=profiles&amp;filter-uuid=d88bb779-acb3-41d1-8e63-5c9a883cb4f4&amp;pattern=node-teaser -->\n      <div data-embl-js-conditional-edit=\"1857571\">\n              <h1 class=\"vf-lede\">In the Squyres group, we use high-resolution live imaging, quantitative analysis, microfluidics, molecular genetics, mathematical modelling, and more to understand how bacteria build biofilms, and how biofilms shape bacteria.<\/p>\r\n\n            <a class=\"vf-text vf-text--body-r vf-link embl-conditional-edit\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"\/node\/1857571\" target=\"_blank\">Edit<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n      <div >\n\n<!-- <style>\n  .vf-content-hub-html {\n    --vf-stack-margin--custom: unset !important;\n  }\n<\/style> -->\n\n    <div class=\"vf-content-hub-html vf-stack vf-stack--600\" data-cache=\"bbec6aba\">\n      <!-- Generated by: http:\/\/content.embl.org\/api\/v1\/pattern.html?filter-content-type=person&amp;filter-field-value%5Bfield_person_positions.entity.field_position_membership%5D=leader&amp;filter-field-value%5Bfield_person_positions.entity.field_position_team.entity.field_foreignid%5D=614&amp;filter-ref-entity%5Bfield_person_positions%5D%5Btitle%5D=&amp;filter-ref-entity%5Bfield_person_positions%5D%5Bfield_position_primary%5D=1&amp;hide%5Bteam%2Cmobile%2Cphones%5D=1&amp;limit=5&amp;pattern=vf-profile-inline&amp;sort-field-value%5Bchanged%5D=DESC -->\n                \n                            <article class=\"vf-profile vf-profile--very-easy vf-profile--medium vf-profile--inline\" data-embl-js-conditional-edit=\"1835781\">\n              <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vf-profile__image\" src=\"https:\/\/content.embl.org\/\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/medium\/public\/persons\/CP-60101166.jpg?itok=jSl0a5-r\" alt=\"image of Georgia Squyres\" \/>\n      \n              <h3 class=\"vf-profile__title\">\n                      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/people\/person\/squyres\" class=\"vf-profile__link\">Georgia Squyres<\/a>\n                  <\/h3>\n      \n              <p class=\"vf-profile__job-title\">\n          Group Leader (Incoming)\n        <\/p>\n      \n      \n      \n      \n      \n      \n            <a class=\"vf-text vf-text--body-r vf-link embl-conditional-edit\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" href=\"\/node\/1835781\/1835781\" target=\"_blank\">\n        Edit\n      <\/a>\n    <\/article>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"vf-grid | vf-grid__col-3\"><div class=\"vf-grid__col--span-2\"><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Previous and current research<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most microbes on Earth live in dense multicellular communities called biofilms. Biofilms exist in every major habitat, shape earth\u2019s climate, and cause devastating treatment-resistant infections. Bacterial biofilms carry out complex processes that individual bacteria do not: they become more virulent, stress-resistant, and antibiotic-tolerant; divide labour to increase efficiency; and develop via stereotyped changes in structure and function. How are these complex behaviours orchestrated by individual bacteria, and how can molecule- and cell-scale mechanisms explain biofilm-scale function? We focus on two research questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>How are complex, multicellular processes orchestrated by life\u2019s simplest cells? <\/strong>Bacteria in biofilms become specialized, and this specialization is often patterned in space and time. We make 4D maps of phenotypic patterning, define molecular mechanisms by which bacteria sense and respond to spatiotemporal cues, and build models explaining how biofilm-scale function emerges from single-cell behavior.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How do bacteria adapt their cell biology to life in biofilms?<\/strong> In biofilms, bacteria face steep nutrient gradients, mechanical confinement, and other stressors. In this environment, our understanding of bacterial cell biology breaks down, and antibiotics targeting this biology often fail. We investigate changes to the assembly and dynamics of essential molecular machines inside biofilm bacteria and use screening and -omics approaches to mine for biofilm-specific cell biology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more, see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/abs\/10.1073\/pnas.2514210122\"><strong>Our recent paper<\/strong><\/a> on cell death and eDNA in biofilms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S1369527424001139\"><strong>Our essay<\/strong><\/a> about tricky questions in biofilm development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/ad\/467542\/biology-slime-antibiotics-biofilm\"><strong>A short video<\/strong><\/a> about Georgia\u2019s postdoc and microbial slimes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Future projects and goals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Topics in our group include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Biofilm matrix production:<\/strong> How is extracellular matrix production coordinated in biofilms? What are the molecular mechanisms by which specific matrix components are made by the right subpopulation, in the right place, and at the right time? How does this coordination lead to a functional and robust biofilm matrix?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cell division machinery in biofilms:<\/strong> How does the cell division complex, and especially the bacterial tubulin FtsZ, change its function in biofilms? How can we mine the biofilm to find new cell division proteins, especially tubulin binders?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Biofilm imaging, analysis, and modelling: <\/strong>How can we improve our microfluidic and microscopy methods to see biofilms more clearly, especially at the subcellular level? How can machine learning help us extract meaning from large 4D data sets? How can modelling bridge the gap between molecular mechanisms and collective phenomena?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Our primary model is the opportunistic pathogen <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa<\/em>, but our strain collection is growing!<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div><!--[vf\/content]-->\n<div class=\"vf-content\">\n\n<figure class=\"vf-figure wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-fig1-scaled.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"655\" class=\"vf-figure__image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-fig1-1024x655.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-55\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-fig1-1024x655.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-fig1-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-fig1-768x491.png 768w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-fig1-1536x983.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-fig1-2048x1310.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"vf-figure__caption\"><strong>Figure 1:<\/strong> We work to understand how cells in <em>P. aeruginosa<\/em> biofilms form phenotypic patterns in extracellular matrix production (top), and how the assembly and dynamics of the cell division machinery are tuned for biofilm conditions (bottom). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"vf-figure wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-video1.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"466\" height=\"466\" class=\"vf-figure__image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/squyres-group-video1.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-56\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"vf-figure__caption\"><strong>Video 1:<\/strong> We perform live, single-cell imaging of a <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa<\/em> biofilm development, from microcolony formation to dispersal. Scale bar: 10 \u00b5m, duration: 62 hours (36,000x real time)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"embl_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-23","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"embl_taxonomy_terms":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions\/58"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"embl_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/groups\/squyres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/embl_taxonomy?post=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}