Function and Responsibilities:

Group Leader "Microbial carbon dynamics in the climate system"

Leader of "Molecular Microbiology" labs of section Geomicrobiology

Responsible for S1 (GMO) work at GFZ

Ombudsperson for doctoral training

Designated speaker of "Earth Surface Dynamics" topic in POFV

Research Interests:

Microbial carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems

Microbial diversity and biogeography

Microbiomes of pristine and rewetted peatlands

Microbial uptake of methane

Career:

refer to "Education"

Education:

2003 diploma in Environmental Sciences at the University of Potsdam, Germany. 2005 Master of Science in Marine Microbiology as member of the International Max Planck Research School "MarMic". 2008 doctoral degree at the University of Bremen, Germany, with a PhD conducted at the Alfred Wegener Insititute for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam ,Germany. 2008-2012 PostDoc at the ETH Zurich in the Group of Environmental Microbiology and at the University of Tromsø in the Molecular Environment Group. 2013-2019 leader of a Helmholtz Young Investigators Research Group (MicroCene) at the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Centre for Geosciences GFZ . 2014-2020 Assistant Professor at the University of Potsdam together with the GFZ Potsdam. Since 2020 Professor for Terrestrial Molecular Environmental Microbiology University of Potsdam and GFZ.

Projects:

BMBF project on methane in permafrost MOMENT

GreenGate Genomics: Service for Bioinformatics and Environmental Genomics

DFG Graduate School on Terrestrial-Marine Interface of Water and Matter Fluxes (Co-PI) BalticTranscoast

Terrestrial Environmental Observatories TERENO

Research Boards and Committees:

Member of the TERENO Scientific Steering Committee

Chair of VAAM Action Group Environmental Microbiology

Awards:

2017 GFZ award for best young researchers group

2013 Helmholtz Young Investigators Research Group

2009 Winner of the PhD award of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM)

2008 PostDoc Scholarship DAAD