IUC NEXUS Lab is a multidisciplinary research group actively conducting studies in environmental and microbial ecology. Its research, primarily undertaken in aquatic ecosystems and other interconnected environmental systems, focuses on protecting ecosystem health, supporting environmental sustainability, and understanding microscale biological and contaminant-related processes.

The laboratory’s principal research areas include microbiology, ecotoxicology, and micropollutants. The resulting data are evaluated through interdisciplinary approaches, environmental interactions, and future-oriented scenarios. Modelling approaches and process flow diagrams are used as fundamental tools for designing research, explaining environmental relationships, and interpreting findings from an integrated perspective.

The laboratory’s research framework prioritizes the requirements of the scientific question and the environmental system under investigation. Each study is structured using fit-for-purpose methods and robust research tools capable of addressing these requirements. The individual stages of each study are defined through flow diagrams that illustrate the relationships among the relevant processes.

Meaning of the Logo : The X and four interconnected nodes in the inner section of the logo represent the laboratory’s principal research axes:  Microbiology – Ecotoxicology – Aquatic Systems – One Health

The segmented outer circle represents the four major interconnected Earth systems in which these research activities take place:  Atmosphere – Hydrosphere – Biosphere – Geosphere

The atmosphere and cloud symbol positioned above the microbiology and ecotoxicology axes represents the atmospheric transport of microplastics, microorganisms, and other contaminants across environmental systems. The wave form in the lower section represents aquatic environments and the ecotoxicological interactions occurring within these systems.

The four Earth systems forming the outer circle represent the environmental context of the research, while the four internal axes define the laboratory’s principal scientific domains. The X at the centre represents the NEXUS at which all these systems and disciplines intersect.

The logo reflects the laboratory’s integrated approach, extending beyond the measurement of contaminants to investigate their transport across environmental systems, their biological interactions at the microscale, their ecotoxicological effects, and their connections with One Health.