Associate Professor

Biology I

Microbiology

Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich

Our group is studying signal transduction and gene expression in microbial stress responses.

We are interested in how bacteria communicate with, and respond to changes occurring within, both their natural environment and biotechnological fermentation processes. Our primary research focus is to identify and characterize signal transducing systems involved in mediating bacterial stress responses with special emphasize on HOW bacteria detect their input signal, i.e. the mechanism of stimulus perception. Another central area of research is to understand how those systems are embedded in and wired within complex regulatory networks and global signaling cascades. We have a long-standing interest in studying the cell envelope stress response network in Bacillus subtilis, the model organism for the low G+C Gram-positive (Firmicutes) bacteria. Other bacteria studied in our lab are Bacillus licheniformis, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

2008-2009 Independent Research Group Leader, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

2004-2007 Research Assistant, Georg-August-University Göttingen

2001-2003 Post Doctoral Fellow

1998-2001 graduate student