Leslie Ogorzaly

Dr Leslie OGORZALY is Principal Investigator (Senior Lead R&T Scientist) in the “Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology” research group at LIST. She is virologist with a PhD in Environment and Health domain. Since then, Dr Leslie OGORZALY initiates and participates in R&D projects in the water microbiology domain at the LIST. Her primary research focus concerns the detection methods of viral particles in water, with a strong interest on the characterization of the infectious state of viruses. Dr Leslie OGORZALY developed some of the latest technological tools available for monitoring viruses in water, combining novel molecular tools (aptamer, real-time detection, next generation sequencing) with classical culture-based approaches. More recently, a emphasis has also been placed on the relationship between the viral contamination and the water cycle through a close collaboration with hydrologists at LIST. This allows a better characterization of the microbial risk in water resources thanks to a more integrated picture of environmental behavior of viral particles from fecal sources to water resources. This dual-competence has enabled Leslie OGORZALY to create a new and original branch of research at the LIST and to open up new avenues and perspectives of research in the field of the environmental virology.