/

• Department of Environmental Geosciences

  • Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thilo Hofmann
    
    Research Focus:
    Contamination of our environment is one of the most pressing global problems and a planetary boundary that has been crossed. Our overall goal is to understand the fate of contaminants in environmental systems and inform solutions to these pressing problems. We are always seeking individuals with an excellent track record and international reputation in the fields of environmental geosciences or geochemistry, contaminant hydrogeology, environmental chemistry, environmental engineering, environmental systems toxicology, or closely related fields.
    
    More information can be found at
    http://edge.univie.ac.at/people/thilo-hofmann

  • Dr. Frank von der Kammer   
    
    Research Focus:
    While urban aerosols have been investigated to a large extent and are regularly monitored, there is only little knowledge about anthropogenic/incidental micro- and nanoparticles in the other urban compartments. The research focus lies on the emission, environmental behavior and fate of incidental particulate pollutants (micro- and nanoparticles) in the terrestrial and aquatic urban environment (soils, run-off, surface waters, sediments, wastewater and wastewater treatment sludges). Those particulate pollutants include e.g. break wear from cars, particles from automotive catalytic converters as well as corrosion products, paint and pigments from surfaces. We use and develop sophisticated methods for particle extraction, field-flow fractionation for sizing and separation and multi-element single particle analysis for identification and tracking. We develop techniques for source appointment, quantification of mobility and transformation of those particulate pollutants to understand their dynamics. 
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://edge.univie.ac.at/

  • Ass.-Prof. Dr. Michael Zumstein
    
    Research Focus:
    Environmental Biodegradation of Organic Contaminants
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://edge.univie.ac.at/people/michael-zumstein
• Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science

  • Ass.-Prof. Mark Anthony, PhD
    
    Research Focus
    Fungal ecology, microbial ecology, environmental microbiology, ecosystem ecology, forestry, biogeochemistry, plant ecology
    
    More information can be found at:
    www.fungalecologylab.com 
    
    
  • Ass.-Prof. Barbara Bayer, BSc MSc PhD
    
    Research Focus
    aquatic microbial ecology, microbial oceanography, carbon and nitrogen cycling
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://dome.univie.ac.at/bayer/ 

  • Univ.-Prof. David Berry, PhD
    
    Research Focus
    Function of the intestinal microbiota in health and disease
    Novel modeling approaches to study microbial communities
    Development of molecular and isotope-labeling methods for studying uncultivated microorganisms in their natural environment

  • Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Böttcher
    
    Research Focus
    Our research in the Böttcher Lab focuses on the chemistry of microbial interactions and chemical strategies for modulating microbial growth, virulence, and coordinated behaviours such as swarming motility or biofilm formation. We are elucidating chemical structure of metabolites that mediate and control interactions between microbes and of microbes with prophages and with their human hosts. We also aim to exploit the activities of these metabolites by synthetic chemistry in order to develop ultra-narrow spectrum antibiotics and anti-infectives with novel mode of action. In a current ERC project we are interested in metabolites triggering prophage induction. Furthermore, we develop chemical probes for activity-based protein profiling to understand virulence-related functions of human pathogens and develop customized inhibitors of pathogenesis traits. Our overall goal is to improve the understanding of chemical interactions of microbes and to create chemical tools for precision interventions in complex microbiomes with the ultimate vision of chemical microbiome engineering.
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://boettcher-lab.univie.ac.at/ 

  • Univ.-Prof. Dr. Holger Daims
    
    Research Focus
    
    • Biogeochemical nitrogen cycle, especially the microbiology of nitrification and complete ammonia oxidation (comammox)
    • Microbial interactions in engineered systems
    • Imaging and image analysis in microbiology
    • Development of methods for studying uncultured microorganisms
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://dome.univie.ac.at/daims/

  • Univ.-Prof. Dr. Matthias Horn
    
    Research Focus:
    - Microbial symbioses, with emphasis on bacterial symbionts of protists and insects
    - Evolution and molecular biology of intracellular bacteria
    - Microbe‐host interactions
    - Microbial genome evolution
    - Giant viruses of protists
    
    More information can be found at:
    www.microbial-ecology.net/horn

  • Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Biol. Dr. Alexander Loy  
    Division of Microbial Ecology   
    
    Research Focus:
    Evolution and ecology of sulfur microorganisms
    Function of the intestinal microbiota in health and disease
    Development of molecular and isotope-labeling methods for studying uncultivated microorganisms in their natural environment
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://dome.univie.ac.at/loy/ 

  • Dr. Alejandro Manzano Marín
    
    Research Focus:
    Our research broadly focuses on host-microbe symbioses, evolutionary genomics, and bioinformatics; with special reference to the emergence, evolution, and genotypic/phenotypic consequences of new symbiotic associations for both host and symbionts. Two main axes drive our current research: Obligate nutritional endosymbionts, assembly and maintenance of gut-associated symbionts, and symbiont-driven diversification. Systems currently worked on include aphids, leeches, ants, and unicellular eukaryotes, but are always happy to expand the repertoire
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://besymblab.univie.ac.at/

  • Assoz. Prof. Dr. Jillian Petersen
    
    Research Focus:
    Ecology and evolution of host-microbe associations in marine and terrestrial habitats.
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://dome.univie.ac.at/petersen/ 

  • Univ.-Prof. Dr. Martin F. Polz
    
    Research Focus:
    We are focused on bacterial population genomics with the main emphasis currently being how bacterial viruses interact with their hosts. Further interests include how the environment structures populations and how populations grow in the wild.
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://dome.univie.ac.at/polz/

  • Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Richter
    
    Research Focus:
    Microbial growth and turnover,
    Climate Change Ecology,
    Soil and Ecosystem Ecology,
    Permafrost soils
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://ter.csb.univie.ac.at/people/andreas-richter

  • Prof. Dr. Michael Wagner
    
    Research Focus:
    Humans are strongly impacting the global nitrogen cycle by massive use of nitrogen fertilisers. Nitrification leads to fertiliser loss, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emission, but is essential for efficient wastewater treatment. Research in Michael Wagner‘s group focuses on the ecology, physiology, and evolution of nitrifying microorganisms. Michael Wagner’s group has discovered, cultured, and characterised important new nitrifying bacteria and archaea, including the long sought-after complete nitrifiers, describing unexpected physiological traits in the process. Michael also has a strong interest in microbial communities driving sewage treatment and in the microbiomes of marine sponges. His group also developed innovative single cell tools to study functional properties of microbes in their natural environment including the human gut. Regarding gut microbiomes, the Wagner lab has a particular interest in the interaction network of these complex communities with pharmaceuticals.
    
    More information can be found at:
    https://dome.univie.ac.at/wagner/  
    
    
  • Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Wolfgang Wanek
    
    Research Focus
    Research focus on the linkage between plant and microbial functioning and ecosystem processes, i.e. what is the role of plants and soil microbes and their interaction in controlling ecosystem processes. In more detail I work on (i) stable isotope fractionation in plants, microorganisms and ecosystems as integrator of physical and biological processes, (ii) nitrogen/phosphorus nutrition of plants and microorganisms, (iii) nutrient cycling in tropical and temperate ecosystems, (iv) stoichiometric relationships in plants, microorganisms and the environment, and (v) how global change affects plant – soil – microbe relations
    
    More information can be found at
    https://ter.csb.univie.ac.at/people/wolfgang-wanek