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Spring into Action: Team Spirit, Science, and New Faces
Science is a team effort – and this month’s newsletter is all about coming together!
Whether it is networking over pizza after Karina Xavier's exciting seminar on gut microbiota, connecting with fellow researchers at our joint VAAM session with MibiNet in Berlin, or lacing up our shoes as one big team for the Jena Corporate Run, March offers plenty of opportunities to step out of the lab and engage with one another.
We are also delighted to welcome a new face to the Cluster: Please join us in saying hello to Yann Schosser, our new Outreach Manager.
Read on to discover how you can get involved with our Diversity Committee, nominate outstanding research for the Thuringian Research Prize, and catch up on the latest funding calls, upcoming events, and our impressive recent publications.
Enjoy the read and see you around!
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Microverse Seminar: Karina Xavier
We are very happy to announce our Microverse Seminar speaker for March:
- Speaker: Karina Xavier
Principal Investigator, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia
- Title: "Gut protective microbiota species promoting microbiota recovery and pathobiont clearance while preventing inflammation"
- Date: March 17, 2026
- Time: 12.15 pm
- Location: Leibniz-HKI – Rosalind Franklin Lecture Hall, Building A1, Beutenbergstr. 11a, Jena
Join us for a slice of Italian Pizza after the seminar to discuss and connect! No registration is required.
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Potrait Karina Xavier, Photo: Xavier Lab
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The Microverse running team in 2025, Photos & Photo Editing: Juliane Seeber
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19th Jena Corporate Run: Showcase the Microverse in the Uni Jena Team!
Let’s get moving together! On May 19, 2026, the University of Jena is entering the Jena Corporate Run (Firmenlauf) as one united team – and we want our Cluster of Excellence to show up in full force.
Whether you are aiming for a new 5K personal best or prefer a relaxed walk while chatting with colleagues, absolutely everyone is welcome in our team. This is a fantastic opportunity to step away from the lab or desk, build team spirit, and visibly showcase the Microverse Cluster as a vibrant part of the university community.
Under the motto "Light, Life & Liberty," we are celebrating a special year for our university. To mark the occasion, extra starting spots have been secured so we can line up with an even bigger team than before.
Together we achieve more – step by step, kilometer by kilometer. Let's bring the energy of the Microverse to the starting line!
Your perks as part of the Uni Team:
Run with us! Registration is now open. Secure your spot in the team by signing up via the Qualification Portal.
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Copyright: VAAM
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Microverse meets MibiNet at VAAM 2026 in Berlin
VAAM: March 22 to 25, 2026 | Henry-Ford-Building of the Freie Universität Berlin, Garystraße 35, 14195 Berlin
Microverse meets MibiNet: March 23, 2026 | 5 to 7 pm | Henry-Ford-Building of the Freie Universität Berlin, Lecture Hall E - HS104, Garystraße 35, 14195 Berlin
We are thrilled to announce a special joint session at the upcoming Joint PHM VAAM Annual Conference in Germany's capital! Together with MibiNet, the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" will be hosting the session “Microverse meets MibiNet,” showcasing cutting-edge research on microbial networking.
The session will be chaired by our very own Kirsten Küsel (University of Jena). We are highly honored to welcome Leo Eberl from the University of Zurich as our invited Keynote Speaker. He will be exploring the fascinating mechanisms of bacterial communication.
Our Featured Speaker Line-up includes:
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Leo Eberl (University of Zurich): "Microbial networking via bacterial membrane vesicles"
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Martina Herrmann (University of Jena): "Parasitic Cand. Gracilibacteria (Candidate Phyla Radiation) from groundwater exhibit a unique host infection strategy"
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Kerstin Thriene (University of Jena): "Microplastic particles and plastic additives promote biofilm formation, virulence and antibiotic resistance in Vibrio cholerae"
If you are joining the conference in Berlin, please drop by! Do not miss this excellent opportunity to connect with fellow researchers and discuss the latest findings in microbial community dynamics and ecological networking. We look forward to seeing you there!
Conference Website: vaam-kongress.de
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Hello everyone,
My name is Yann Schosser, and I am delighted to introduce myself to you today as the new Outreach Manager for the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse." As of February 15th, I have stepped into the role previously held by Sandy Ludwig.
Though my academic background is in philosophy and the social sciences, I have gained extensive experience in science communication while working on various research projects. I look forward to using these perspectives to work with all of you to make our research even more visible.
The focus of my work will be on educational outreach. I am excited to develop formats that inspire children and young people for the Microverse, as well as to design and implement new outreach concepts together with you.
The best science communication thrives on exchange – which is why I am very much looking forward to our collaboration. If you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me anytime at yann.schosser@uni-jena.de.
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Portrait Yann Schosser, Photo: privat
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Microverse Diversity and Culture
Diversity Committee Meeting
March 18, 2026 | 12.30 pm | Leibniz HKI, Nucleus Cafeteria, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena
You're warmly invited to join our next Diversity Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 18 at 12.30 pm, in the Nucleus Cafeteria. We’ll chat about Microverse diversity topics in a relaxed setting — feel free to join just once or regularly!
Your Diversity Committee
Rosalind Allen, Merle Hammer, Silvia Kolossa & Johannes Zimmermann
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Copyright: Leibniz IPHT
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Invitation: EUROPT(R)ODE 2026
March 29 to April 1, 2026 | Volkshaus Jena, Carl-Zeiss-Platz 15, 07743 Jena, Germany
The Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) will host the “Europtrode” - “International Conference for the Presentation of Innovations in Chemical & Biochemical Optical Sensing” in 2026.
Scientists from the fields of chemistry, physics and biology, technologists, engineers and industry representatives will meet here to exchange ideas, network and jointly advance the development and application of optical chemical sensors and biosensors.
More information can be found here on the conference website.
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3rd OpenIRIS User Day for JenaVersum
June 23, 2026 | 2 to 4 pm | Lichtwerkstatt at the Abbe Center of Photonics, Albert-Einstein-Straße 6, 07745 Jena
Jena’s research landscape stands for excellence and powerful research infrastructures. Since 2021, JenaVersum has been actively promoting the networked and coordinated use of these shared resources, utilizing the open-source platform OpenIRIS as its central tool.
Following a successful pilot phase and two previous user days, the OpenIRIS community in Jena continues to grow. More and more institutions are making their equipment visible, thereby strengthening our highly connected research environment.
We warmly invite all current users and interested researchers to the 3rd OpenIRIS User Day. This event offers an excellent platform for information, networking, and exchange within the JenaVersum network. Participants will gain insights into the current developments and future perspectives of OpenIRIS.
Gathering in the inspiring environment of the "Lichtwerkstatt" (which is itself an OpenIRIS provider), we want to discuss how research infrastructures can be even better shared, utilized, and advanced together.
» Registration
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Logo Thuringian Research Prize, Copyright: TMBWK
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Call for Nominations: Thuringian Research Prize 2026
The Thuringian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture (TMBWK) is once again awarding the Thuringian Research Prize.
Outstanding researchers will be honored in the categories Basic Research and Applied Research within the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences as well as Natural Sciences and Engineering. Each prize is endowed with €25,000.
The award recognizes exceptional, completed research achievements by individual researchers or research groups conducted at universities or non-university research institutions in Thuringia. Please note that lifetime achievements are not eligible under this call.
Eligible research achievements must be the result of a completed research or development project and should set benchmarks at an international level.
The evaluation criteria include:
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The innovative character of the research achievement
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The novelty of the scientific results
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The international standards set by the results
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The exceptional advancement of knowledge achieved or the demonstrated feasibility of implementing the scientific results
Further information is available online (please note that the website is available in German only).
If you require support, please feel free to contact us.
Internal Nomination Procedure – University of Jena
For the selection of nominations from the University of Jena, we kindly ask you to submit proposals by March 16, 2026.
Please send your proposal by email to vpforschung@uni-jena.de. Submissions should include:
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Juliane Heimann
Email: juliane.heimann@uni-jena.de
Tel.: +49 3641 9-401104
Submissions may be made in English or German.
Researchers based at non-university institutes are kindly asked to contact their scientific management to clarify the internal submission procedure.
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Open Calls
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Upcoming Events & Workshops
- ChemBioSys International Symposium
March 9 to 11, 2026 | Rosensäle, Fürstengraben 27, 07743 Jena
Read more
- International Congress on Biophotonics (ICOB 2026)
March 18 to 21, 2026 | ETEC Building at the University at Albany, 1220 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12203, United States
Read more
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Science & Society: Nina Ruge
March 19, 2026 | 4 pm | Lecture Hall, Abbe-Zentrum Beutenberg
Read more
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Workshop "Raise your hand! How to follow your path with self-confidence"
March 26, 2026 | 9 am to 4 pm | Room tba
Registration & further Information
- German Biotech Days
April 21 to 22, 2026 | Congress Hall at Leipzig Zoo, Pfaffendorfer Straße 31, 04105 Leipzig
Read more
- Organ-on-Chip Workshop & Lecture Series (by Dynamic42 GmbH)
April 27, 2026 | Workshop Location (Hands-on): Seminar Room Angelina Hesse, HKI Biotech Center, Building A7, Jena | Lecture Location: Seminar Room Dorothy Hodgkin, HKI Biotech Center, Building A7, Jena
Workshop Registration
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Data Science Day Jena 2026
May 6, 2026 | 1 to 7.30 pm | University main building, auditorium & foyer, Fürstengraben 1, Jena
Read more
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Jena Excellence in Microbiology Seminar: Michael Wagner
May 19, 2026 | 12.15 pm | Leibniz HKI – Seminar Room Pasteur, Building A8, Beutenbergstr. 11a, Jena
No registration is required.
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More dates from the Microverse
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Selected Publications
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Wasmuth I, Ibrahim A, Köhler P, Hovhannisyan H, Marcet-Houben M, Gabaldon T, Tsolmon S, Warinner C, Stallforth P. Growth Promotion of Milk-Associated Candida zeylanoides by a cyclic-lipopeptide produced by Pseudomonas. ISME J. 2026.
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Bäcker M, Doekes HM, Garza DR, Meijer J, van Vliet S, Allen RJ, Hogeweg P, Dutilh BE, van Dijk B. Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2026;50.
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Zhang S, Huang Y, Schlabach K, Tran MA, Nachawati R, Bader N, Komor AJ, Hertweck C, Schindelin H, Lakemeyer M, Hellmich UA, Stallforth P. Microbial dl-Peptidases Enable Predator Defense and Facilitate Structure Elucidation of Complex Natural Products. J Am Chem Soc. 2026;148(5):5264-74.
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Wünschmann T, Ghaderiardakani F, Homeier-Bachmann T, Quartino ML, Wichard T, Busch A. Genomic and functional characterization of Pseudosulfitobacter pseudonitzschiae BPC-C4-2: a growth-promoting symbiont in Antarctic Ulva communities. BMC Genomics. 2026;27(1).
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Staack M, Haufschild T, Hammer J, Kallscheuer N, Kumar G, Jogler C. A novel strain isolated from methane seeps in the Kattegat belongs to the planctomycetal species Novipirellula methanifontis sp. nov. Sci Rep. 2026;16(1):6537.
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Ringleb M, Streiber M, Lutz TM, Rother L, Bachinger E-M, De Breuck J, Kuenneth C, Schubert US, Zechel S, Traeger A, Leiske MN. Design of tuneable, biocompatible anionic polymers by l-norvaline amino acid post-polymerisation modification of pentafluorophenyl acrylate copolymers. RSC Applied Polymers. 2026.
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Kallscheuer N, Kumar G, Hammer J, Haufschild T, Jogler C. Four novel Planctomicrobium species isolated from sewage sludge or leakage water of a compost heap in Northern Germany. Sci Rep. 2026;16(1):4347.
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Hennings JC, Murthy KS, Picard N, Cabrita I, Bohm D, Huebner AK, Krause ME, Gentsch GJ, Shah V, Baraka-Vidot J, Khundadze M, Schmerler D, Kiehntopf M, Stauber T, Bockenhauer D, Jentsch TJ, Bachmann S, Franke C, Schermer B, Eladari D, Chambrey R, Hubner CA. Metabolic acidosis causes a Fanconi-like syndrome with intracellular trafficking defects and proximal tubule dysfunction. Sci Transl Med. 2026;18(836):eads6299.
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Unger K, Ruiter R, Reichelt M, Gershenzon J, Agler MT. Pseudomonas virulence factor SaxA detoxifies plant glucosinolate hydrolysis products, rescuing a commensal that suppresses virulence gene expression. ISME Commun. 2026;6(1):ycag004.
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All publications
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