Johannes Cairns
Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and Technology (TCSMT) johannes.cairns@utu.fi ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1329-2025 |
ecology & evolution, resistance & resilience, bioinformatics, microbial model systems
I am a Collegium Researcher (Title of Docent in Evolutionary Genetics and Bioinformatics, 2023) at the University of Turku, where I lead the Microbial Evolutionary Genetics Lab (utu.fi/meg/). My research focuses on the eco-evolutionary dynamics of microbial communities, antibiotic resistance, and resilience, combining experimental evolution, molecular microbiology, and bioinformatics. I received my PhD in Microbiology from the University of Helsinki in 2018 and have since worked in Finland and the UK. I have authored more than 25 peer-reviewed articles and actively contribute to scientific collaboration, teaching, and science communication. In addition to the University of Turku, I am affiliated with the Department of Computer Science and Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, and the Finnish Multidisciplinary Center of Excellence in Antimicrobial Resistance Research (FIMAR). Besides my science training, I also have academic training (PhD) and publications in environmental humanities, and am a founding and active member in One Health Finland (est. 2016), reflecting my broad interest in systemic approaches to global health and environmental challenges.
I study the eco-evolutionary dynamics of microbial communities, with a particular focus on how they adapt to environmental disturbances and antibiotic stress. By combining experimental evolution, genetic engineering, and bioinformatics, I aim to uncover the mechanisms that shape microbial resistance, resilience, and community interactions.
I have taught at bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, with experience ranging from lectures and seminars to workshops and curriculum development. My teaching has focused on microbiology, experimental evolution, molecular genetics, and bioinformatics, including international training initiatives. I have also co-designed course material and supervised students across degree levels.
- Jørn Borup: Decolonising the Study of ReligionBuddhalaisuus ja nykyinen ympäristökriisi: käytännön ympäristösuhteen historiallinen kehitys ja ympäristötoiminnan vaikuttavuus (2025)
- Temenos
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - Pre-exposure of abundant species to disturbance improves resilience in microbial metacommunitiesEffect of mutation supply on population dynamics and trait evolution in an experimental microbial community (2025)
- Nature Ecology and EvolutionEcology Letters
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Pre-exposure to disturbance enhances species resilience and protects from change (2025)
- Nature Ecology and Evolution
(B1 Other refereed article (e.g., editorial, letter, comment) in a scientific journal) - How Western Buddhist climate activists negotiate climate emotionsEffects of phenotypic variation on consumer coexistence and prey community structure (2024)
- Frontiers in PsychologyEcology Letters
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - How Western Buddhists Combine Buddhism and Climate ActivismStrong selective environments determine evolutionary outcome in time-dependent fitness seascapes (2024)
- Contemporary Buddhism
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Quantifying massively parallel microbial growth with spatially mediated interactions (2024)
- PLoS Computational Biology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Localized coevolution between microbial predator and prey alters community-wide gene expression and ecosystem function (2023)
- ISME Journal
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Microbiological and Physicochemical Quality of Groundwater and Risk Factors for Its Pollution in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (2023)
- Water
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Towards evolutionary predictions: Current promises and challenges (2023)
- Evolutionary ApplicationsInocula : mikrobiologikillan julkaisu
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal ) - Understanding and applying biological resilience, from genes to ecosystems (2023)
- NPJ Biodiversity
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal ) - Understanding cellular growth strategies via optimal control (2023)
- Journal of the Royal Society Interface
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Biological units of antimicrobial resistance and strategies for their containment in animal production (2022)
- FEMS Microbiology Ecology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - (2022) Cairns Johannes
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - (2022)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - (2022)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - 2022
- Evolution letters
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Drug-induced resistance evolution necessitates less aggressive treatment (2021)
- PLoS Computational Biology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Antibioottiresistenssi haastaa monialaiseen yhteistyöhön (2020)
- Lääkärilehti
(E1 Popularised article) - Evolution in interacting species alters predator life-history traits, behaviour and morphology in experimental microbial communities (2020)
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Mikrobit mediassa (2020)
(D1 Article in a professional journal)