Mr. Swapnil Eishraq Abedin, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Integrated Biosciences, received the Student Presentation Award (Oral Presentation, Microalgae Division) at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Phycology, held at the University of Tsukuba on March 21–22, 2026.  

Award Winner:　Swapnil Eishraq Abedin
Supervisor:　Associate Professor Shinichiro Maruyama

Presentation Title:　Secretome analysis tells how salamander-associated algae respond to the environment inside host

Conference Venue:　Tsukuba Campus, University of Tsukuba

In this study, we investigated the symbiotic mechanisms of a green alga, which lives inside salamander eggs. In contrast to conventional studies which focus on intracellular processes, we focused on extracellular processes, specifically the proteins secreted from salamander egg-associated algae. In this presentation, we reported findings from a comprehensive predictive analysis of the secretome while inside the egg, providing new insights into novel biological environments.

Award Winner’s Comment:
I am deeply honored to have been selected for this award among so many presentations. There were times when the research did not progress as smoothly as I had hoped, but thanks to the support of many people, I was able to find some interesting results. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who supported me.
In addition, this conference provided me with a valuable opportunity to learn about algal ecology from a wide range of perspectives. Building on this experience, I will continue to study diverse fields and integrate their knowledge in pursuit of research that is uniquely my own.