מקסים רובין-בלום - בית הספר למדעי הים ע"ש ליאון צ'רני

About▼

Dr. Maxim Rubin-Blum is a marine biologist who studies the molecular ecology of the deep sea. He is a Senior Lecturer at the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa and a Senior Researcher at the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR) institute. His work focuses on the microbiology and biogeochemistry of chemosynthesis-based deep-sea ecosystems, including gas seeps, brine pools, and anoxic basins in the Southeastern Mediterranean. His research integrates genomic, ecological, and oceanographic approaches to uncover how deep-sea organisms drive carbon cycling and shape key geochemical processes in extreme marine environments.

Publications▼

Diverse quorum sensing systems regulate microbial communication and biogeochemical processes in deep-sea cold seeps, Peng, J., Liu, X., Wang, J., Meng, N., Cai, R., Peng, Y., Han, Y., Liao, J., Li, C., Rubin-Blum, M., Ma, Q. & Dong, X., Dec 2026, In: Microbiome. 14, 1, 16.
Editorial: Rising stars in geomicrobiology: microbial life in subsurface, seep and hydrothermal ecosystems, Ruff, S. E., Murali, R., Rubin-Blum, M. & Teske, A. P., 2026, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 17, 1808625.
Phylogenetically and metabolically diverse active carbon-fixing microbes reside in mangrove sediments, Wang, S., Zhao, Z., Cheng, R., Cui, L., Wang, J., Rubin-Blum, M., Zhang, Y., Liu, B., Chen, X., Baltar, F., Cao, X., Wen, X., Alain, K., Chen, Z., Liao, J., Jiang, L. & Shao, Z., Dec 2025, In: Microbiome. 13, 1, 194.
Contribution of dark inorganic carbon fixation to bacterial carbon demand in the oligotrophic Southeastern Mediterranean Sea, Reich, T., Belkin, N., Sisma-Ventura, G., Hauzer, H., Rubin-Blum, M., Berman-Frank, I. & Rahav, E., 19 Nov 2025, In: Ocean Science. 21, 6, p. 3055-3067 13 p.
Cultivation and metabolic versatility of novel and ubiquitous chemolithoautotrophic Campylobacteria from mangrove sediments, Cui, L., Zhong, Y., Li, Y., Sievert, S. M., Huang, Z., Wang, W., Rubin-Blum, M., Cao, X., Wang, Y., Shao, Z., Lai, Q., Wang, S. & Jiang, L., Sep 2025, In: Microbiology Spectrum. 13, 9
Lessons learned by addressing challenges to deep-sea conservation planning in the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea: linking science to practice, Shabtay, A., Rothschild, A., Makovsky, Y., Neuman, A., Bialik, O., Goren, L., Idan, T., Slavenko, A., Salingré, S., Buba, Y., Guy-Haim, T., Herut, B., Stern, N., Gertman, I., Gilboa, M., Gal, G., Ofir, E., Rubin Blum, M., Berenshtein, I. & Amir, D. & 4 others, Karniel, T., Belmaker, J., Ben Lamine, E. & Giakoumi, S., Aug 2025, In: Ocean and Coastal Management. 267, 107700.
Seasonal Transition in the Dominance of Photoautotrophic and Heterotrophic Protists in the Photic Layer of a Subtropical Marine Ecosystem, Avrahami, Y., Siano, R., Rubin-Blum, M., Koplovitz, G., Henry, N., de Vargas, C. & Frada, M. J., Aug 2025, In: Environmental Microbiology Reports. 17, 4, e70126.
Long-term functional kleptoplasty in benthic foraminifera, Pinko, D., Langlet, D., Sur, O., Husnik, F., Holzmann, M., Rubin-Blum, M., Rahav, E., Belkin, N., Kucera, M., Morard, R., Abdu, U., Upcher, A. & Abramovich, S., 21 Mar 2025, In: iScience. 28, 3, 112028.
Animal burrowing at cold seep ecotones boosts productivity by linking macromolecule turnover with chemosynthesis and nutrient cycling, Rubin-Blum, M., Rahav, E., Sisma-Ventura, G., Yudkovski, Y., Harbuzov, Z., Bialik, O. M., Ezra, O., Foubert, A., Herut, B. & Makovsky, Y., 10 Mar 2025, In: Biogeosciences. 22, 5, p. 1321-1340 20 p.
Site-specific incubations reveal biofilm diversity and functional adaptations in deep, ancient desert aquifers, Atencio, B., Malavin, S., Rubin-Blum, M., Ram, R., Adar, E. & Ronen, Z., 2025, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 16, 1533115.
מערכת אקולוגית ייחודית של נביעות גז ותמלחות בהפרעת פלמחים, הים העמוק באגן הלבנט, ⁨רובין-בלום, מ.⁩, ⁨חרות, ב.⁩ & ⁨מקובסקי, י.⁩, 2025, הוד הים: איתנות ותמורות במערכות הימיות של ישראל. ⁨סטמבלר, נ.⁩ (ed.). חיפה: העמותה הישראלית למדעי הימים, p. 349-364 16 p.
Shark eggs contribute to the trophic ecology of a cold-seep chemosynthetic ecosystem, Zvi-Kedem, T., Martinez, S., Shemesh, E., Lalzar, M., Guy-Haim, T., Sisma-Ventura, G., Makovsky, Y., Tchernov, D. & Rubin-Blum, M., 2025, In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. 756, p. 71-81 11 p.
Epiphytic microbiome associated with intertidal seaweeds in the Mediterranean Sea: comparative analysis of bacterial communities across seaweed phyla, Nahor, O., Israel, Á., Barger, N., Rubin-Blum, M. & Luzzatto-Knaan, T., Dec 2024, In: Scientific Reports. 14, 1, 18631.
Correction to: Survival strategies of aerobic methanotrophs under hypoxia in methanogenic lake sediments (Environmental Microbiome, (2024), 19, 1, (44), 10.1186/s40793-024-00586-1), Gafni, A., Rubin-Blum, M., Murrell, C., Vigderovich, H., Eckert, W., Larke-Mejía, N. & Sivan, O., Dec 2024, In: Environmental Microbiome. 19, 1, 70.
Survival strategies of aerobic methanotrophs under hypoxia in methanogenic lake sediments, Almog, G., Rubin-Blum, M., Murrell, C., Vigderovich, H., Eckert, W., Larke-Mejía, N. & Sivan, O., Dec 2024, In: Environmental Microbiome. 19, 1, 44.
Metabolic adaptations underpin high productivity rates in relict subsurface water, Atencio, B., Geisler, E., Rubin-Blum, M., Bar-Zeev, E., Adar, E. M., Ram, R. & Ronen, Z., Dec 2024, In: Scientific Reports. 14, 1, 18126.
Community composition and seasonal dynamics of microplastic biota in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Davidov, K., Marsay, K. S., Itzahri, S., Rubin-Blum, M., Sobral, P., Kranzler, C. F. & Oren, M., Dec 2024, In: Scientific Reports. 14, 1, 26131.
Oviparous Catsharks Accumulate Mercury in Deep-Sea Brine Pool Nurseries, Sisma-Ventura, G., Herut, B., Segal, Y., Stern, N., Makovsky, Y. & Rubin-Blum, M., 8 Oct 2024, In: Environmental Science and Technology Letters. 11, 10, p. 1103-1109 7 p.
Active microbial communities facilitate carbon turnover in brine pools found in the deep Southeastern Mediterranean Sea, Rubin-Blum, M., Makovsky, Y., Rahav, E., Belkin, N., Antler, G., Sisma-Ventura, G. & Herut, B., Jun 2024, In: Marine Environmental Research. 198, 106497.
Bioconcentration and lethal effects of gas-condensate and crude oil on nearshore copepod assemblages, Velasquez, X., Morov, A. R., Astrahan, P., Tchernov, D., Meron, D., Almeda, R., Rubin-Blum, M., Rahav, E. & Guy-Haim, T., Jun 2024, In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. 203, 116402.
Wooden steps to shallow depths: A new bathymodiolin mussel, Vadumodiolus teredinicola, inhabits shipworm burrows in an ancient submarine forest, Altamia, M. A., Appiah-Madson, H. J., Poulin, F., Huettel, B., Rubin-Blum, M., Dubilier, N., Gruber-Vodicka, H. R., Leisch, N. & Distel, D. L., Feb 2024, In: Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 204, 104220.
Allochthonous Groundwater Microorganisms Affect Coastal Seawater Microbial Abundance, Activity and Diversity, Yanuka-Golub, K., Belkin, N., Weber, N., Mayyani, M., Levy, Y., Reznik, I. J., Rubin-Blum, M., Rahav, E. & Kiro, Y., Feb 2024, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 129, 2, e2023JG007610.
Tar pollution event (2021) at the Southeastern Levantine oligotrophic basin, short-term impacts and operational oceanography perspectives, Herut, B., Goldman, R., Ozer, T., Lazar, A., Biton, E., Gertman, I., Silverman, J., Segal, Y., Sisma-Ventura, G., Gertner, Y., Rubin-Blum, M., Belkin, N. & Rahav, E., Jan 2024, In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. 198, 115892.
Metabolically-versatile Ca. Thiodiazotropha symbionts of the deep-sea lucinid clam Lucinoma kazani have the genetic potential to fix nitrogen, Ratinskaia, L., Malavin, S., Zvi-Kedem, T., Vintila, S., Kleiner, M. & Rubin-Blum, M., Jan 2024, In: ISME Communications. 4, 1, ycae076.
Tar patties are hotspots of hydrocarbon turnover and nitrogen fixation during a nearshore pollution event in the oligotrophic southeastern Mediterranean Sea, Rubin-Blum, M., Yudkovsky, Y., Marmen, S., Raveh, O., Amrani, A., Kutuzov, I., Guy-Haim, T. & Rahav, E., Dec 2023, In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. 197, 115747.
Metabolic handoffs between multiple symbionts may benefit the deep-sea bathymodioline mussels, Zvi-Kedem, T., Vintila, S., Kleiner, M., Tchernov, D. & Rubin-Blum, M., Dec 2023, In: ISME Communications. 3, 1, 48.
Taxonomic distribution of metabolic functions in bacteria associated with Trichodesmium consortia, Koedooder, C., Zhang, F., Wang, S., Basu, S., Haley, S. T., Tolic, N., Nicora, C. D., del Rio, T. G., Dyhrman, S. T., Gledhill, M., Boiteau, R. M., Rubin-Blum, M. & Shaked, Y., Dec 2023, In: mSystems. 8, 6
Downwind gas condensate volatiles affect phytoplankton communities, Rahav, E., Belkin, N., Velasquez, X., Sisma-Ventura, G., Guy-Haim, T., Paytan, A. & Rubin-Blum, M., Oct 2023, In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. 195, 115561.
Anthropogenic and natural disturbances along a river and its estuary alter the diversity of pathogens and antibiotic resistance mechanisms, Rubin-Blum, M., Harbuzov, Z., Cohen, R. & Astrahan, P., 20 Aug 2023, In: Science of the Total Environment. 887, 164108.
Marine top secrets: Ichthyoplankton in surface water uncover hidden knowledge on fish diversity and distribution, Guerchon, J., Morov, A. R., Tagar, A., Rubin-Blum, M., Tikochinski, Y., Berenshtein, I., Rilov, G. & Stern, N., 5 Mar 2023, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 282, 108226.
Feeding strategy and dietary preference shape the microbiome of epipelagic copepods in a warm nutrient-impoverished ecosystem, Velasquez, X., Morov, A. R., Belkin, N., Kurt, T. T., Rubin-Blum, M., Tchernov, D., Meron, D. & Guy-Haim, T., Jan 2023, In: Environmental DNA. 5, 1, p. 38-55 18 p.
Physiological changes during torpor favor association with Endozoicomonas endosymbionts in the urochordate Botrylloides leachii, Hyams, Y., Rubin-Blum, M., Rosner, A., Brodsky, L., Rinkevich, Y. & Rinkevich, B., 2023, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 14, 1072053.
Shared ancestry of algal symbiosis and chloroplast sequestration in foraminifera, Pinko, D., Abramovich, S., Rahav, E., Belkin, N., Rubin-Blum, M., Kucera, M., Morard, R., Holzmann, M. & Abdu, U., 2023, In: Science Advances. 9, 41, eadi3401.
Aerobic methanotrophy increases the net iron reduction in methanogenic lake sediments, Vigderovich, H., Eckert, W., Elvert, M., Gafni, A., Rubin-Blum, M., Bergman, O. & Sivan, O., 2023, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 14, 1206414.
Discovery and chemical composition of the eastmost deep-sea anoxic brine pools in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Herut, B., Rubin-Blum, M., Sisma-Ventura, G., Jacobson, Y., Bialik, O. M., Ozer, T., Lawal, M. A., Giladi, A., Kanari, M., Antler, G. & Makovsky, Y., 17 Nov 2022, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 9, 1040681.
Effects of crude oil and gas condensate spill on coastal benthic microbial populations, Kababu, E., Angel, D. L., Sisma-Ventura, G., Belkin, N., Rubin-Blum, M. & Rahav, E., 15 Nov 2022, In: Frontiers in Environmental Science. 10, 1051460.
Discharge of Polyphosphonate-Based Antiscalants via Desalination Brine: Impact on Seabed Nutrient Flux and Microbial Activity, Sisma-Ventura, G., Belkin, N., Rubin-Blum, M., Jacobson, Y., Hauzer, H., Bar-Zeev, E. & Rahav, E., 20 Sep 2022, In: Environmental Science and Technology. 56, 18, p. 13142-13151 10 p.
Metagenomes of Red Sea Subpopulations Challenge the Use of Marker Genes and Morphology to Assess Trichodesmium Diversity, Koedooder, C., Landou, E., Zhang, F., Wang, S., Basu, S., Berman-Frank, I., Shaked, Y. & Rubin-Blum, M., 30 May 2022, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 13, p. 879970 879970.
Long-term incubations provide insight into the mechanisms of anaerobic oxidation of methane in methanogenic lake sediments, Vigderovich, H., Eckert, W., Elul, M., Rubin-Blum, M., Elvert, M. & Sivan, O., 2 May 2022, In: Biogeosciences. 19, 8, p. 2313-2331 19 p.
P Fluxes and Prokaryotic Cycling at Benthic Boundary Layer in the Deep Southeastern Mediterranean Sea, Sisma-Ventura, G., Herut, B., Silverman, J., Katz, T., Rubin-Blum, M. & Rahav, E., Apr 2021, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 126, 4, e2020JG006110.
Metagenomic insights into the metabolism of microbial communities that mediate iron and methane cycling in Lake Kinneret iron-rich methanic sediments, Elul, M., Rubin-Blum, M., Ronen, Z., Bar-Or, I., Eckert, W. & Sivan, O., 23 Mar 2021, In: Biogeosciences. 18, 6, p. 2091-2106 16 p.
הימצאות חיידקים פתוגניים רבי יציבות בשפכי נחלים בשרון: [מתוך המדור: בקצרה], ⁨אסטרחן, פ.⁩, ⁨כהן, ר.⁩, ⁨פייקין, ס.⁩ & ⁨רובין-בלום, מ.⁩, 2021, In: אקולוגיה וסביבה.
Identification of plastic-associated species in the Mediterranean Sea using DNA metabarcoding with Nanopore MinION, Davidov, K., Iankelevich-Kounio, E., Yakovenko, I., Koucherov, Y., Rubin-Blum, M. & Oren, M., 1 Dec 2020, In: Scientific Reports. 10, 1, 17533.
Multidrug-resistant enterobacteriaceae in coastal water: an emerging threat, Cohen, R., Paikin, S., Rokney, A., Rubin-Blum, M. & Astrahan, P., 1 Dec 2020, In: Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control. 9, 1, 169.
The effects of decomposing invasive jellyfish on biogeochemical fluxes and microbial dynamics in an ultra-oligotrophic sea, Guy-Haim, T., Rubin-Blum, M., Rahav, E., Belkin, N., Silverman, J. & Sisma-Ventura, G., 14 Nov 2020, In: Biogeosciences. 17, 22, p. 5489-5511 23 p.
The deep water of Eastern Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot for bacterial activity, Rahav, E., Silverman, J., Raveh, O., Hazan, O., Rubin-Blum, M., Zeri, C., Gogou, A., Kralj, M., Pavlidou, A. & Kress, N., Jun 2019, In: Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. 164, p. 135-143 9 p.
Fueled by methane: deep-sea sponges from asphalt seeps gain their nutrition from methane-oxidizing symbionts, Rubin-Blum, M., Antony, C. P., Sayavedra, L., Martínez-Pérez, C., Birgel, D., Peckmann, J., Wu, Y. C., Cardenas, P., MacDonald, I., Marcon, Y., Sahling, H., Hentschel, U. & Dubilier, N., 1 May 2019, In: ISME Journal. 13, 5, p. 1209-1225 17 p.
Genetic evidence for two carbon fixation pathways (the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle and the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle) in symbiotic and free-living bacteria, Rubin-Blum, M., Dubilier, N. & Kleiner, M., 1 Jan 2019, In: mSphere. 4, 1, e00394-18.
Short-chain alkanes fuel mussel and sponge Cycloclasticus symbionts from deep-sea gas and oil seeps, Rubin-Blum, M., Antony, C. P., Borowski, C., Sayavedra, L., Pape, T., Sahling, H., Bohrmann, G., Kleiner, M., Redmond, M. C., Valentine, D. L. & Dubilier, N., 19 Jun 2017, In: Nature Microbiology. 2, 17093.
Massive asphalt deposits, oil seepage, and gas venting support abundant chemosynthetic communities at the Campeche Knolls, southern Gulf of Mexico, Sahling, H., Borowski, C., Escobar-Briones, E., Gaytán-Caballero, A., Hsu, C. W., Loher, M., MacDonald, I., Marcon, Y., Pape, T., Römer, M., Rubin-Blum, M., Schubotz, F., Smrzka, D., Wegener, G. & Bohrmann, G., 11 Aug 2016, In: Biogeosciences. 13, 15, p. 4491-4512 22 p.

Academic Background▼

Dr. Rubin-Blum earned his B.Sc. in Molecular Biochemistry at the Technion, followed by an M.Sc. in Ecology and Geochemistry at Bar-Ilan University, and a Ph.D in Marine Biology at the University of Haifa. He completed postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, where he studied deep-sea symbioses and chemosynthetic pathways.

Research Areas▼

Deep-sea biology and the functioning of life in extreme marine environments
Chemosynthesis-based ecosystems, including methane seeps, brine pools, and anoxic basins
Microbial ecology and adaptation in methane-rich, sulfide-rich, and hypersaline habitats
Symbiotic relationships between microbes and deep-sea fauna
Carbon fixation pathways and metabolic strategies that support life in the deep sea
Microbial contributions to geochemical processes and large-scale biogeochemical cycles
Ecological dynamics, evolution, and resilience of deep-sea microbial communities under natural and anthropogenic pressures