I am a microbiologist with a passion for microbial ecosystems, host-microbe interactions, bioinformatics, and the development of molecular tools to understand these complex relationships.

During my early career, I worked at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (Germany), where I completed my MSc and PhD. My PhD research focused on host-symbiont interactions in deep-sea mussels, investigating the metabolism of sulphur-oxidising and methane-oxidising symbionts that enable these mussels to thrive in extreme environments. This work deepened my fascination with the interplay between microbes and their hosts.

Building on this foundation, I joined the Quadram Institute to explore the role of sulphate-reducing bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and their impact on human and animal health. My research investigates how Bilophila wadsworthia establishes itself within the gut microbiome and interacts with other microbial communities. I am also studying nitrogen fixation by Desulfovibrio diazotrophicus and its potential implications for the human gut microbiota. To achieve these goals, I am developing molecular genetic tools to dissect microbial colonisation and interactions within the gut.

My work combines fundamental microbiology with cutting-edge molecular techniques to uncover the mechanisms underlying host-microbe interactions and their contributions to health and disease. I currently hold a BBSRC Discovery Fellowship, which supports my work in the field of nitrogen fixation by sulphate-reducing bacteria within the gut context.

• We currently have a MMB DTP opportunity in our group on “The Role of Bilophila wadsworthia in Microbiome-Driven Metabolic Dysfunction: Impact of Obesity-Associated Microbiomes” (Deadline 14 April 2025)

Key Publications

Sayavedra, L., Li, T., Bueno Batista, M., Seah, B.K.B., Booth, C., Zhai, Q. et al. (2021) Desulfovibrio diazotrophicus  nov., a sulphate reducing bacterium from the human gut capable of nitrogen fixation. Environ Microbiol.

Hutchins, C.*, Sayavedra, L.*, Diaz, M., Gupta, P., Tissingh, E., Elumogo, C. et al. (2021) Genomic analysis of a rare recurrent Listeria monocytogenes prosthetic joint infection indicates a protected niche within biofilm on prosthetic materials. Sci Rep11: 1-11. *Equal contribution

Ansorge, R., Romano, S.*, Sayavedra, L.*, Porras, M.Á.G., Kupczok, A., Tegetmeyer, H.E. et al. (2019) Functional diversity enables multiple symbiont strains to coexist in deep-sea mussels. Nature microbiology 4: 2487-2497. *Equal contribution

Rubin-Blum M, Antony CP, Borowski C, Sayavedra L, Pape T, Sahling H, Bohrmann G, Dubilier N. Short-chain alkanes fuel the metabolism of symbiotic Cycloclasticus from deep-sea gas and petroleum seeps. Nature Microbiology. doi: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2017.93

Ponnudurai RP, Kleiner M, Sayavedra L, Petersen J, Moche M, Otto A, et al. (2016). Metabolic and physiological interdependencies in the Bathymodiolus azoricus symbiosis. ISME. doi:10.1038/ismej.2016.124

Breusing C, Biastoc A, Drews A, Metaxas A, Jollivet D, Vrijenhoek RC, Bayer T, Melzner F, Sayavedra L., et al. (2016). Biophysical and population genetic models predict the presence of “phantom” stepping stones connecting Mid-Atlantic Ridge vent ecosystems. Current Biology. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.062

Sayavedra L, Kleiner M, Ponnudurai R, Wetzel S, Pelletier E, Barbe V, et al. (2015). Abundant toxin-related genes in the genomes of beneficial symbionts from deep-sea hydrothermal vent mussels. eLife 4. doi: 10.7554/eLife.07966