Research Projects
Current projects
| 2012 - 2017 | ERC Advanced Grant - ABYSS (Assessment of Bacterial Life and Matter Cycling in Deep-Sea Surface Sediments) |
| 2012 - 2016 | 7 FP EU MicroB3 |
| 2011 - 2014 | FP EU project ECO2 |
| 2009 - 2013 | MARUM Excellence Cluster Project “Hydrothermal Vents” |
| 2009 - 2012 | Marie Curie Action "Initial Training Networks" – ITN SenseNet |
Previous projects
| 2012 | Polarstern Expedition IceArc (ARK 27-3) |
| 2009 - 2012 | 7 FP EU project HERMIONE (WP leader) |
| 2009 - 2012 | BMBF project BIOACID |
| 2007 - 2012 | Graduate School of the Excellence Initiative “GLOMAR” |
| 2009 - 2011 | 7 FP EU project HYPOX (coordinator) |
| 2009 - 2011 | FP EU project EUROFLEETS |
| 2007 - 2011 | EU 6th FP NoE ESONET (Demonstration Mission “LOOME ” (Long term observation of mud volcanism)) |
| 2009 - 2010 | DFG MERIAN expedition HOMER 1 + 2 |
| 2007 - 2010 | EUROCORES EuroDeep CHEMECO |
| 2006 - 2010 | CNRS GDRE DIWOOD (Collaboration Univ Pierre et Marie Curie, CNRS, MPI) |
| 2006 - 2010 | ESF EUROCORES EuroDiversity MiCROSYSTEMS |
| 2005 - 2009 | DFG Research Center RCOM II, Teilbereich E Fluid and gas seepage along continental margins: structures, processes and budgets |
| 2008 | DFG METEOR expedition Guineco |
| 2005 - 2009 | EU 6th FP IP HERMES “Hotspot ecosystem research on margins of Europe’s seas” |
| 2007 | DFG METEOR expedition MICROHAB (M72/2) |
| 2007 | DFG METEOR expedition BIONIL (M70/2) |
| 2005 - 2008 | BMBF project MUMM “Microbial turnover of methane above marine gas hydrate” |
| 2003 - 2007 | ESF project “MEDIFLUX - An integrated study of fluid seepage through the seabed of the Nile deep-sea fan“ |
| 2003 - 2006 | 6th FP EU project STREP “EXOCET – Extreme ecosystem studies in the deep Ocean: technological developments“ |
| 2006 | DFG METEOR proposal BIONIL (M70/2) |
| 2004 - 2005 | DAAD-ICCTI Projektbezogener Personenaustausch mit Portugal (PPP) Acções Integradas Luso-Alemãs |
| 2002 - 2005 | 5th FP EU project “METROL – Methane fluxes in ocean margin sediments: microbiological and geochemical control“ |
| 2002 - 2005 | DFG/ODP project „Analysis of the distribution and diversity of methanotrophic microbial consortia at Hydrate Ridge (Cascadia Margin, Offshore Oregon; ODP Leg 204 in 2002) |
| 2000 - 2003 | BMBF project MUMM “Microbial turnover of methane above marine gas hydrate” |
| 1999 - 2000 | BMBF project BIGSET II “Biogeochemical transport of matter and energy in the deep-sea” |
| 1999 - 2000 | DFG project “Pressure sensitivity of microbial processes in deep-sea sediments” |
Professional memberships
Current Professional Memberships and Committees
- Advisory Board "C-DEBI" Center for Dark Biosphere (NSF Science and Technology Center, USC LA, USA)
- Scientific Steering Committee Deep Life Directorate of the Deep Carbon Observatory (Sloan Foundation, Carnegie USA)
- Advisory Board National History Museum Berlin
- Advisory Board Senckenberg Museum
- Advisory Board GeoBioCenter Munich (LMU)
- External Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society
- Science Council of Germany (Wissenschaftsrat)
- Commission of the Senate for Biodiversity (DGF, Germany)
- Advisory Board Diversitas D
- National Committee for Global Change Research
- Head of the Scientific Committee of the Annette-Barthelt-Price for Marine Research
- Monaco Blue Initiative (Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation)
- Membership American Society of Microbiology
- Membership American Society for Limnology and Oceanography
- Membership European Geosciences Union
- Membership American Geophysical Union
- Membership VAAM/FEMS
- Membership ISME
Past Professional Memberships and Committees
- Commission of the Senate for Oceanography (DFG, Germany)
- Head of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Baltic Sea Research
- Advisory Board Institute for Polar Research IPEV (France)
- Advisory Board of the Excellence Cluster "Future Ocean" University Kiel
- Advisory board “International Census of Marine Microbial Life” ICOMM
- Steering Committee ChEss (Biogeography of Chemosynthetic Ecosystems), Census of Marine Life
- Scientific Council of CNRS Section „Planete et Universe“ (France)
- Scientific Committee of IFREMER (France)
- Scientific Committee DIVERSITAS International (UNESCO, ESSP)
- Science Committee NIOZ
Professional services
Editorial Boards of
- the ISME Journal (Nature Publishing Group)
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology
- Geobiology
- Aquatic Microbial Ecology
- Marine Biology Research (new journal, previously SARSIA and OPHELIA)
- Environmental Microbiology
Reviewer for Journals
- Science
- Nature
- MEPS
- Limnology and Oceanography
- Deep Sea Research I + II
- Marine Biology, Marine Geology
- Progress in Oceanography
- Journal of Sea Research
- Organic Geochemistry
- AEM
- Microbial Ecology
- Springer Verlag
Reviewer for funding agencies
- DFG, BMBF, ERC, NSF, NOAA, NWO, NERC, ANR, CNRS, SNSF, FWO