Specifically, her work is centered around the enzyme RNase E, which is a protein commonly found in many bacterial species, and how disruptions to RNase E can cause the bacteria to be more sensitive to different stressors, like antibiotic treatment.

Northcote's research focuses on how bacteria called Brucella regulate the stability of RNA, which plays an important role in how bacteria respond to stress.

In return, the bacteria receive abundant nutrients inside the squid. Boucaud focuses on why some bacteria cooperate by producing light while others “cheat” by growing faster, and how the squid’s biology keeps these cheaters in check.

Boucaud studies how juvenile Hawaiian bobtail squids form a lifelong partnership with bioluminescent bacteria. The bacteria help the squid glow, camouflaging it against moonlight and reducing its shadow on the ocean floor, which gives them an advantage against predators.

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