Research

​Research at the Centre fosuses on microbes and their impact on biological systems across broad scales, from single cells to ecosystems.

Computational Systems Biology

The mission of CUBE is to advance our understanding of biological systems, ranging from single species to multi-species systems and ecosystems, based on data from large-scale bioanalytical methods. We develop, improve and apply computational methods for the interpretation of molecular information in biology, and establishes and analyses quantitative mathematical models. CUBE is highly engaged in basic research, in the translation of basic knowledge to medical and biological applications, and in the training of students on all educational levels. We support an innovative and open-minded, creative and collaborative atmosphere inside and outside our team, facilitate the exchange with the society and contribute to a vital and responsible research community in computational biology.
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Environmental Geosciences

Environmental Geosciences takes an interdisciplinary approach to the investigation of aquatic and terrestrial processes that control the earth environment. Chemical, physical, biological, and geoscientific concepts and methods are applied to experimental work and field observations to arrive at a molecular scale mechanistic understanding and quantitative modelling of these processes. We are well equipped to seize opportunities presented by new developments in areas such as nanogeosciences, molecular biology, isotope geochemistry, environmental chemical analytics, chemical speciation and modern hydrogeology. Our overall goal is to understand processes controlling the environmental systems and to apply fundamental insights to the solution of some of the pressing environmental problems of today and tomorrow.
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Microbial Ecology

Microbes are the hidden powers on planet earth. They are by far the most abundant life form, drive biogeochemical cycles and are essential partners in biological interactions with other organisms. Yet our knowledge of microbial diversity and function is only limited. The division’s research spans frome cophysiology, genomics, and evolution of key microorganisms in selected ecosystems to interactions of microbes among each other and with eukaryotes. This is achieved by cultivation-independent state-of-the-art molecular tools including for example single cell isotope probing and sorting as well meta-omics techniques.
We seek to analyze the biodiversity, to reveal the evolutionary history, and to understand the ecological function of microbes catalyzing the global carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen cycles. These organisms are not only indispensable in nature, they are also of great importance for biotechnological applications.
We study the evolution of intracellular symbiotic associations and their mechanisms of interaction by focussing on amoebae and their bacterial endosymbionts. As model system we investigate the chlamydiae, which are among the most successful bacterial pathogens of humans and thrive as symbionts in diverse hosts such as protozoa, insects, and crustaceans.
We investigate the complex symbiotic microbiota of humans and animals. We want to understand how host diet shapes physiological interactions among the many intestinal microorganisms and how individual microorganisms impact health of their host.
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Terrestrial Ecosystem Research

Soil microorganisms and plants are key players in the production and breakdown of organic matter, and together control global biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. TER, the Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, aims to advance our fundamental understanding of how plants and soil microorganisms respond to, and in turn shape, their abiotic and biotic environment, and to determine the consequences for the functioning of Earth’s ecosystems.
Primarily dedicated to basic research, TER addresses pressing environmental issues, such as the impact of climate and land-use change on ecosystem functioning and the role of soils in the global carbon cycle and in food security. In doing so, we work on scales from µm (i.e. the scale at which microbes operate) to the biosphere (i.e. where plant and microbial processes become evident), and in ecosystems spanning the Arctic tundra to tropical rainforests. We integrate this scale of thinking with state-of-the-art methods, including stable isotope tracing and biomarker fingerprinting, and are developing novel approaches to estimate gross environmental processes with isotope pool dilution techniques.
We are strongly committed to conduct world-leading research in a motivating and intellectually stimulating environment, and to train our students to become independent and internationally competitive scientists who enjoy research and contribute to society as conscientious citizens.
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