Staff Profile
Background
Dr Otti Croze is a Lecturer in Engineering Mathematics in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics at Newcastle University. His areas of expertise are mathematical biology and biological physics of microorganisms.
Qualifications
- Msci Physics, Queen Mary College, University of London (2000)
- PhD Theoretical Soft Matter Physics, University of Edinburgh (2004)
Previous Positions
- Visiting Scholar, Physics, Heriot-Watt University (2006)
- Post-doctoral Research Associate, Biological Physics, University of Edinburgh (2006-2008)
- Post-doctoral Research Associate, Mathematical Biology, University of Glasgow (2008-2012)
- EPSRC mobility researcher co-investigator, Plant Metabolism, University of Cambridge (2012-2013)
- Winton Fellow in the Physics of Sustainability, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge (2013-2019)
- Associate Lecturer in Mathematical Biology, Department of Mathematics, University of York (2020)
Memberships
- Biologically Active Fluids group
- Institute of physics
- BBSRC Algae-UK
Research
Research interests
- Mathematical biology and biological physics of microorganisms
- Biophysics applied to microbial biotechnologies
- Active matter and biofluids
Our group in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics investigates the mathemtatical and physical biology of microorganisms. We specialise in the experimental and theoretical study of swimming microbes and microbial symbiosis. Our research is inspired by current problems in microbial biotechnology (photobioreactors, bioremediation and sustainable agritech) and microbial ecology (microbial interactions).
Postgraduate supervision
- D. Jin Cell-cycle dependent motility of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and its collective motion
in response to a Poiseuille Flow (2018) - H. Laeverenz Schlogelhofer Experimental and theoretical study of carbon dynamics
in an algal-bacterial co-culture (2019) - T. Jakuszeit Active particles in complex environments (2020)
Available positions
There is a funded PhD opportunity available in our group, with a project on:
Modelling swimming microbes for the environment and green biotechnologies
the project will look at models of swimmers in industrial and agricultural environments.
There will be opportunity for theoretical analysis, running agent based simulations and
experiments, including working with the group’s pilot-scale algal photobioreactors.
Please see https://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/otticroze/join-us for more details.
Full funding is guaranteed for Home/UK students. Fees may also be covered
for exceptional international/EU applicants.
The deadline for applications is Friday 4th of March.
Any enquiries should be directed to: Otti.Croze@newcastle.ac.uk.
There are currently no postdoc vacancies in the group. If you intend to secure your own long-term funding as a junior fellow at Newcastle (e.g. through a NUAcT Fellowship), please contact me and I'll be very happy to discuss this.
Research Grants and fellowships
- Innovate UK Technology Strategy Board: " ProFlow - Advanced downstream processing for sustainable microalgal product manufacture" (2017-2019), 102795, co-I
- Royal Society Research Grant: "Using microswimmer biophysics to boost algal photobioreactor efficiency" (2016-2017), RG82830, PI
- Winton Advanced Fellowship, "New biophysics for sustainable bioremediation and biofuel production" (2013-2019), PI
- EPSRC postdoctoral mobility grant: "The growth of motile algae: from plankton blooms to biofuel production" (2012-2013), EP/J004847/1, Researcher co-I
Publications
Research group website
https://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/otticroze/ (under development)
Please also find information about my research at my old Cavendish Laboratory website (no longer updated): https://croze.bss.phy.cam.ac.uk/
Teaching
Undergraduate Teaching (2020/2021)
- MAS2805 - Fluids (Tutor, Semester 2)
- ENG1001 - Engineering Mathematics (Tutor, Semester 2)
Undergraduate Teaching (2021/2022)
- CEG1716 - Geospatial Mathematics and Statistics (Lecturer, Semester 1)
- ENG1001 - Engineering Mathematics (Tutor, Semester 2)
- PHY3027/PHY3034 - Physics Project (Supervisor, Semester 2)
Publications
- Jin D, Kotar J, Silvester E, Leptos K, Croze OA. Diurnal Variations in the Motility of Populations of Biflagellate Microalgae. Biophysical Journal 2020, 119(10), 2055-2062.
- Jakuszeit T, Lindsey-Jones J, Peaudecerf FJ, Croze OA. Migration and accumulation of bacteria with chemotaxis and chemokinesis. The European Physical Journal E 2021, 44, 32.
- Peaudecerf FJ, Bunbury F, Bhardwaj V, Bees MA, Smith AG, Goldstein RE, Croze OA. Microbial mutualism at a distance: The role of geometry in diffusive exchanges. Physical Review E 2018, 97(2), 022411.
- Croze OA, Bearon RN, Bees MA. Gyrotactic swimmer dispersion in pipe flow: Testing the theory. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2017, 816, 481-506.
- Bees MA, Croze OA. Mathematics for streamlined biofuel production from unicellular algae. Biofuels 2014, 5(1), 53-65.
- Croze OA, Sardina G, Ahmed M, Bees MA, Brandt L. Dispersion of swimming algae in laminar and turbulent channel flows: Consequences for photobioreactors. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 2013, 10(81).
- Croze OA. Alternative derivation of the Feigel effect and call for its experimental verification. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 2012, 468(2138), 429-447.
- Schlogelhofer HL, Peaudecerf FJ, Bunbury F, Whitehouse MJ, Foster RA, Smith AG, Croze OA. Combining SIMS and mechanistic modelling to reveal nutrient kinetics in an algal-bacterial mutualism. PLoS ONE 2021, 16(5), e0251643.
- Croze OA, Ferguson GP, Cates ME, Poon WCK. Migration of chemotactic bacteria in soft agar: Role of gel concentration. Biophysical Journal 2011, 101(3), 525-534.
- Croze OA, Ashraf EE, Bees MA. Sheared bioconvection in a horizontal tube. Physical Biology 2010, 7(4), 046001.
- Croze OA, Gates ME. Nonadditivity of polymeric and charged surface interactions: Consequences for doped lamellar phases. Langmuir 2005, 21(12), 5627-5638.