Malin Olofsson

I both lead and are involved in several projects related to phytoplankton including cyanobacteria of various types, here are a few examples:

• Local adaptation of filamentous cyanobacteria to salinity gradients in aquatic regions around the Baltic Sea (VR Establishing grant 2025-2028, main applicant).
• Nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea including the use of stable isotope incubation experiments, biogeochemical models, and monitoring data (ÅForsk repatriation grant, main applicant).
• Three projects on monitoring and anlyses of algal toxins, both in freshwater and seawater, mainly focusing on cyanobacteria and assimilated in mussels (Board of Agriculture: 2023-2026, main applicant; 2024-2027, co-applicant; 2025-2028, main applicant).
• One project on how temperature will affect seasonality and toxin production and transfer in aquatic food webs, using the heated lake at Forsmark power plant (Oscar Lilli Lamm, 2024-2025). 

Supervision

Bachelor students
Co-supervised Amanda Wise and William Fang, Internship, May 2021
Supervision of BSc Thesis project by Freja Westermark March-June 2023
Co-supervision of BSc Thesis project by Alma Sandqvist, fall 2025
 
Master students
Co-supervised Rickard Stenow, Master student, GU (SE), 2017-2018
Co-supervision 3 MSc students within Thesis Training (UU), 2023 and 2024
Co-supervision of MSc Thesis project by Sajani Hansana, spring 2025
Co-supervision of MSc Thesis project by Zachary Chan, 2025 to 2026
 
PhD students
Co-supervised McKenzie Powers, PhD student, UGA (US), 2020-2021
PhD main supervisor, Manuela Seehauser, started March 2024
Co-supervision of PhD student Manne Larsson, from December 2023
PhD main supervisor, Ricardo Palizotto Ribeiro, started May 2025
 
Post docs
Supervision of Mihriban Ozen, 1 year, 2023-2024.
Supervision of Mohanad Abdelgadir, 4 months, 2024-2025

Guests
PhD student Ailin Rasaie, fall 2025
MSc student Natalia Toloczko, summer 2025

I use many different methodological approaches in my research including metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, toxin analyses (ELISA; LC-MS), spatial modeling, and secondary ion mass sperometry S(IMS) for single cell stable isotope analyses.

I collaborate both within SLU but also with many affiliations outside of the Univeristy, including SMHI, Swedish Food Agency, SwAM, and municipalities. 

I am the course coordinator of seven Thesis courses in Biology and Environmental Sciences. 

Docent since November 2022.

32.  Abdelgadir M., Broman E., Dinnétz M, Olofsson M, Sjöling S. 2025. Future increase of filamentous cyanobacteria in coastal Baltic Sea predicted by multiple realm models of marine, terrestrial, and climate change scenarios. Ecological Informatics. 92: 103439.
 
31. Wurtsbaugh W, Olofsson M, Boyer GL, Marcarelli AM. 2025. Salinity adaptation and toxicity of harmful algal blooms in three bays of Great Salt Lake (USA). Harmful Algae. 150: 102959. 
 
30. Olofsson M, Sten-Åke Wängberg, Anna, Angela Wulff. 2025. Limited effects of UVBR on primary productivity and photosynthetic pigment composition in the Greenland Sea. 2025. Journal of Sea Research. 2027: 102608.
 
29. Olofsson M, Karlsson M, Melkersson K, Minnhagen S, Persson M, Reutgard M, Seehauser M, Zuberovic Muratovic A. Mussels. 2025. Seasonal dynamics of biotoxins and potentially toxic phytoplankton in three Baltic Sea blue mussel farms. Harmful Algae 147: 102885.
 
28.  Fulweiler RW, Berberich M, Rinehart S, Taylor J, Kelly MC, Ray NE, Oczkowski A, Balint S, Geisser A, Mahoney C, Benavides M, Church M, Loeks B, Newell S, Olofsson M, Oppong J, Roley SS, Vizza C, Wilson S, Groffman P, Thad Scott JT, Marcarelli A. (2025). Global importance of nitrogen fixation across inland and coastal waters. Science 388, 1205-1209.
 
27.  Halbach L, Kitzinger K, Hansen M, Benning L, Littmann S, Bradley J, Whitehouse M, Olofsson M, Mourot R, Tranter M, Kuypers M, Ellegaard-Jensen L, Anesio A. (2025). Single-cell imaging reveals efficient nutrient uptake and growth of microalgae darkening the Greenland Ice Sheet. 2025. Nature Commun. 16:1521.
 
26. Fulweiler RW, Berberich M, Rinehart S, Taylor J, Kelly MC, Ray NE, Oczkowski A, Balint S, Geisser A, Mahoney C, Benavides M, Church M, Loeks B, Newell S, Olofsson M, Oppong J, Roley SS, Vizza C, Wilson S, Groffman P, Thad Scott JT, Marcarelli A. (2025). A global dataset of nitrogen fixation rates across inland and coastal waters. Limnol Oceanogr Lett. 10(3): 412-429.
 
25. Stenow R, Olofsson M, Whitehouse M, Ploug H. (2024). Chain forming diatoms use different strategies to avoid diffusion limited N assimilation. Limnol. Oceanogr. 69(10):2391-2405.
 
24. Wåhlström I, Almroth-Rosell, Edman M, Olofsson M, Eilola K, Fleming V, Gröger M, Arneborg L, Meier HEM. (2024) Increased nutrient retention and cyanobacterial bloom in a future coastal zone. Est. Coast. Shelf. Sci. 108728.
 
23. Uchimiya M, Olofsson M, Powers MA, Hopkinson BM, Moran MA, Edison AS. (2023) 13C NMR metabolomics: J-resolved STOCSY meets INADEQUATE. J. Magnetic Resonance. 347: 107365. 
 
22. Ferrer-González FX, Hamilton M, Smith CB, Schreier JE, Olofsson M, Moran MA. (2023). Bacterial transcriptional response to labile exometabolites from photosynthetic picoeucaryote Micromonas commoda. ISME Commun. 3: 5. 
 
21. Karlson B, Arneborg L, Johansson J, Linders J, Liu Y, Olofsson M. (2022) A suggested climate service for cyanobacteria blooms in the Baltic Sea – Comparing three monitoring methods. Harm. Alg. 118: 102291.
 
20. Olofsson M, Ferrer-González FX, Uchimiya M, Holderman N, Schreier JE, Smith CB, Edison AS, Moran MA. (2022) Growth-stage-related shifts in phytoplankton endometabolome composition set the stage for bacterial heterotrophy. ISME Commun. 2: 28.