Rizlan Bernier-Latmani

EPFL ENAC IIE EML
CH A1 375 (Bâtiment CH)
Station 6
1015 Lausanne

Expertise

Geomicrobiology 
Environmental Microbiology 
Bioremediation 
Geochemistry 
Uranium biogeochemistry and  isotope geochemistry 
Iron geomicrobiology 
Gram-positive bacteria 
Deep subsurface microbes 
Nuclear waste

Mission

The focus at EML is geomicrobiology: specifically, the study of metal-microbe interactions in the subsurface. The fundamental scientific questions are centered on the metabolic activity of microorganisms and their impact on biogeochemical cycling. There are many applications to this general scientific question: e.g., bioremediation, the storage of nuclear waste in geological repositories, the mobility of contaminants in the subsurface. We also specifically probe for the role of Gram-positive bacteria, an important but understudied group of bacteria, in the subsurface.

Current Work

HIGHER EDUCATION 
Summer course: Advances in Genome Technology and Bioinformatics Course at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. October 2005. 
Ph.D. 2001 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, CA  (Advisor, Jim Leckie, "Biodegradation of uranyl (UO22+)-complexed citrate and implications for uranyl mobility in the subsurface")
M.S. 1995 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, CA 
B.S. 1993 Natural Resources with Honors, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT 
2022- present Full professor, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne
2013-2022 Associate professor with tenure, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne 
2005-2013 Assistant professor tenure track, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne 
2001-2005 Post-Graduate Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA (PI: Brad Tebo) 
1995-2001 Graduate Research Assistant, Stanford University (Advisor: Jim Leckie) 
RESEARCH INTERESTS 
Gemicrobiology, metal-bacteria interactions, biological reduction and oxidation of metals, biological nanoparticle formation; Characterization of microbial communities in terrestrial environments; Using genomic, microscopic and spectroscopic tools to understand metal transformations by microorganisms. 
ACADEMIC HONORS 
Rotary Foundation University Professor grant, 2004. 
Swiss National Science Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship, 2001. 
Leon B. Reynolds Memorial Scholarship in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, 1995-96. 
Graduated with Honors from Cornell University, 1993. 
BIBLIOMETRY 
http://www.researcherid.com/rid/E-4398-2011 ResearcherID: E-4398-2011

2025

Journal Articles

[1] Evaluating nitrate removal and travel times in a bare deciduous forest soil through a column tracer experiment

M. CattryF. MieleS. WangM. FrutschiA. Rinaldo

Catena. 2025. DOI : 10.1016/j.catena.2025.109204.

[2] High-throughput cultivation and isolation of environmental anaerobes using selectively permeable hydrogel capsules

H. SalletM. CalvoM. TitusN. JacqueminK. L. Meibom  et al.

ISME Communications. 2025. DOI : 10.1093/ismeco/ycaf117.

[3] Biosensor-aided isolation of anaerobic arsenic-methylating bacteria from soil

H. SalletL. KaiserM. TitusM. CalvoN. Jacquemin  et al.

ISME Communications. 2025. DOI : 10.1093/ismeco/ycaf081.

[4] Bile acid 7α-dehydroxylating bacteria accelerate injury-induced mucosal healing in the colon

A. JalilA. PerinoY. DongJ. ImbachC. Volet  et al.

EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE. 2025. DOI : 10.1038/s44321-025-00202-w.

[5] Speciation-dependent molecular mechanism of electron transfer from the c-type cytochrome MtrC to U(VI)-ligand complexes

M. MolinasK. L. MeibomA. BrownL. A. AbriataT. Prüßmann  et al.

Geo-Bio Interfaces. 2025. DOI : https://doi.org/10.1180/gbi.2024.10.

Theses

[6] High-throughput isolation of anaerobic arsenic-transforming microorganisms

H. Sallet

Lausanne, EPFL, 2025. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-11293.

Datasets

[7] Supplementary movies to 'High-throughput isolation of anaerobic arsenic-transforming microorganisms' (PhD thesis by Hugo Sallet, EPFL, 2025)

H. Sallet

2025.

2024

Journal Articles

[8] Growth substrate limitation enhances anaerobic arsenic methylation by <i>Paraclostridium bifermentans</i> strain EML

J. QiaoH. SalletK. L. MeibomR. Bernier-Latmani

Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2024. DOI : 10.1128/aem.00961-24.

[9] Strain-dependent induction of primary bile acid 7-dehydroxylation by cholic acid

E. Vico OtonC. VoletN. JacqueminY. DongS. Hapfelmeier  et al.

BMC Microbiology. 2024. DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-024-03433-y.

[10] WP15 ConCorD state-of-the-art report (container corrosion under disposal conditions)

A. MuñozA. AbdelouasU. AlonsoA. M. FernandezR. Bernier-Latmani  et al.

Frontiers in Nuclear Engineering. 2024. DOI : 10.3389/fnuen.2024.1404739.

[11] The isotopic signature of U(V) during bacterial reduction

A. BrownM. MolinasY. RoebbertR. FaizovaT. Vitova  et al.

Geochemical Perspectives Letters. 2024. DOI : 10.7185/geochemlet.2411.

[12] BaiJ and BaiB are key enzymes in the chenodeoxycholic acid 7a-dehydroxylation pathway in the gut microbe Clostridium scindens ATCC 35704

K. L. MeibomS. A. M. MarionC. VoletT. NassE. Vico Oton  et al.

Gut Microbes. 2024. DOI : 10.1080/19490976.2024.2323233.

[13] Reducing conditions influence U(IV) accumulation in sediments during in-situ bioremediation

N. JanotS. Dunham-CheathamJ. Lezama PachecoJ. CerratoD. Alessi  et al.

ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. 2024. DOI : 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.3c00271.

[14] Pentavalent U reactivity impacts U isotopic fractionation during reduction by magnetite

Z. PanL. LoreggianY. RobertB. BártováM. Hunault  et al.

Environmental Science & Technology. 2024.

[15] Microbial hydrogen sinks in the sand-bentonite backfill material for the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste

C. RollandN. BurzanO. LeupinA. BoylanM. Frutschi  et al.

Frontiers in Microbiology. 2024. DOI : 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1359677.

Theses

[16] Investigation of microbial community dynamics in soil during variable hydrological forcing

S. Wang

Lausanne, EPFL, 2024. DOI : 10.5075/epfl-thesis-10790.

Posters

[17] UrbanTwin: An urban digital twin for climate action

D.-A. ConstantinescuV. KartschY. NakatsukaP. WieseP. Orbanovik  et al.

EcoCloud Annual Event on IT Sustainability 2024, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2024-10-08.

2023

Journal Articles

[18] Anaerobic arsenic methylation as a microbial warfare strategy

J. QiaoH. SalletK. L. MeibomN. JacqueminR. Bernier-Latmani

BioRxiv. 2023. DOI : 10.1101/2023.01.09.523296.

[19] Spatially Explicit Linkages Between Redox Potential Cycles and Soil Moisture Fluctuations

F. MieleP. BenettinS. WangI. RettiM. Asadollahi  et al.

Water Resources Research. 2023. DOI : 10.1029/2022WR032328.

[20] Mechanism of Reduction of Aqueous U(V)-dpaea and Solid-Phase U(VI)-dpaea Complexes: The Role of Multiheme c-Type Cytochromes

M. MolinasK. L. MeibomR. FaizovaM. MazzantiR. Bernier-Latmani

Environmental Science & Technology. 2023. DOI : 10.1021/acs.est.3c00666.

Courses

ENV-504 | ENV-621 | ENV-202

This course covers the essential knowledge of contaminant partitioning and techniques to monitor chemical species, physical extent of contamination and biological processes. In the second part, remediation approaches are tackled. This course represents the fundamentals of remediation.