Microbiology

Microorganisms play a central role in our existence. They help to digest our food, and they are used to preserve food. Yet, they can spoil food and can poison us. They cause life-threatening infections but also produce the antibiotics that save us. They play key roles in nature as they help the global recycling of nutrients and energy. Considering their importance, it is surprising how little we know about their workings.

SILS Microbiology Theme

We study the intricate dynamics of microorganisms and their interactions with hosts, in particularly the human microbiome. Our ultimate goal is to translate the obtained knowledge into innovative applications that benefit health, industry, and the environment.

On the Side of the Microorganism

We study fundamental aspects of bacterial growth, how they communicate through RNA-based and other means, how they adapt and differentiate, and how they evolve antibiotic resistance. In addition, we examine how we can develop novel antibiotics, control food spoilage causing bacteria, optimize microbial metabolic processes to improve chemical and enzyme production, and convert CO2 into useful products using photosynthetic cell factories.

On the Side of the Host

We study how the intestinal microbiome and host interact, and what impact this has on health at different stages of life, how can we engineer microbial consortia to benefit the host, and what insights can be gained from gut-microbiome-on-a-chip technology, how do host-microbe interactions influence overall health.

Research groups of the Microbiology Theme:

Molecular Biology and Microbial Food Safety Bacterial Cell Biology and Physiology Groups Microbiome Engineering Mass Spectrometry of Biomolecules