Prof. Dr. Marleen De Troch is a marine ecologist with a research interest in the role of invertebrates in marine food webs. Trophic interactions at the basis of marine food webs (mainly between bacteria, diatoms and copepods) are analysed by means of lab experiments and trophic biomarkers (stable isotopes, fatty acids). Special focus lies on fatty acid profiling but also transcriptomics are applied to understand the molecular aspects of the lipid metabolism under different stress conditions in a climate change context. The research is further extended to higher trophic levels in order to obtain an ecological basis of sustainable use of marine resources (aquaculture). The research is hypothesis driven and is conducted in coastal systems worldwide.