Matti Gralka is an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Biology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His research focuses on the dynamics of microbial communities, their interactions, and how these contribute to biogeochemical cycles. Dr. Gralka combines laboratory experiments with ecological theory to investigate community dynamics among microbial groups. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, where he examined the influence of spatial structure on evolutionary dynamics. Prior to his current appointment, he was a postdoctoral fellow at MIT, specializing in Marine Microbial Ecology and studying microbial processes related to biopolymer degradation in oceanic environments. Matti's academic journey reflects a strong foundation in physics as well as an interdisciplinary approach to understanding microbial ecology. His contributions to the field are significant, with multiple publications focusing on marine microbiology and microbial community assembly.