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What a week…
"Balance of the Microverse" has been officially renewed for another seven years under Germany’s Excellence Strategy! The DFG’s positive evaluation affirms our scientific strength, collaborative spirit, and bold vision for the future.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this success possible. Let’s continue exploring the microbial world – together.
And that’s not all – this edition of the newsletter brings more exciting updates:
- Our team "Microverse in Motion" made a strong showing at the Jena Company Run
- A new teaching guide brings microbiology into classrooms across Germany
- Our next Microverse Seminar welcomes José Martins from Ghent University
- Several upcoming events, including workshops, symposia, and career talks
- And don’t miss our latest publications – from molecular fingerprints to plant-microbe interactions
Enjoy reading – and let’s keep the Microverse moving forward!
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Photos: Nicole Nerger, Kirsten Küsel, Juliane Seeber
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We did it – again!
We are thrilled and deeply grateful to share that the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" has been renewed for another 7 years as part of Germany’s Excellence Strategy!
This recognition is a powerful affirmation of the groundbreaking work our researchers have achieved over the past years – and a promise for even more discovery, collaboration, and innovation ahead.
To our researchers, staff, partners, and supporters: Thank you for your tireless dedication and belief in the power of the Microverse. Let’s continue to explore the invisible world that shapes our planet – and shape the future of microbiome research, together.
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Read more!
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Team "Microverse in Motion" (Photo/Animation: Juliane Seeber)
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"Microverse in Motion" at full speed!
We’re thrilled to share that our team “Microverse in Motion” put in an outstanding performance at this year’s Jena Company Run (Firmenlauf)! With great energy, team spirit, and a good dose of competitive ambition, our runners raced through the city – showing that microbial research isn’t the only thing we’re fast at!
A special shout-out to our fastest runner, Hans-Dieter Arndt, and to Amelia Barber, who was our fastest female runner – incredible achievements! - Thanks to everyone who ran, cheered, and helped bring our Microverse momentum to the streets of Jena.
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Microverse Seminar: José Martins
June 16, 2025 | 10:15 am | Leibniz-HKI, Seminar Room Hodgkin, Building A7, Beutenbergstr. 11a, Jena
We are very happy to announce our Microverse Seminar speaker for May:
No registration required. Afterwards, we invite you to a lively discussion over finger food.
Organized together with the Leibniz-HKI and the Institute for Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry at the University of Jena.
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REMINDER: Writing a DFG proposal: programs and advice to foster your career with Dr. Andreas Strecker
June 17, 2025 | 9:30 to 10:30 am | Leibniz-HKI, Seminar Room Louis Pasteur, Beutenbergstr. 11a, Jena
Are you looking to take the next step in your career? Join us for a career lecture and individual consultations by Dr. Andreas Strecker from the DFG on June 17. He will discuss the various DFG funding opportunities, provide insights into the application process, and some guidelines for a compelling proposal.
Dr. Strecker is DFG Programme Director for the Life Sciences 2: Microbiology, Immunology, Neurosciences.
This offer is aimed primarily at advanced doctoral researchers, postdocs and junior group leaders, to help you navigate your professional journey.
No registration required.
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8th International Symposium on Systems Biology of Microbial Infections
September 18 to 19, 2025 | Leibniz-HKI, Beutenbergstr. 11a , Jena
The systems biology of microbial infection aims to understand the interaction between hosts and pathogens by the integrative combination of experiment and theory. The focus of this symposium is on the interaction between the immune systems of humans or animals and bacterial or fungal pathogens. We welcome contributions that, for example, focus on
- unraveling pathogenicity mechanisms by a systems biology approach
- host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions
- reconstructing cellular networks based on time series data
- analysing spatio-temporal aspects of infection processes
- identifying diagnostic biomarkers and potential drug targets
- exploring strategies for personalized therapy
Please submit your abstracts by July 15, 2025..
The International Symposium on Systems Biology of Microbial Infection is taking place biennially since the year 2011 at the HKI-Center for Systems Biology of Infection in Jena, Germany.
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Further information, call for abstracts & registration
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Upcoming Events
- 10th E-Learning Day at the University of Jena
June 23, 2025 | 9 am to 4:30 pm | Rosensäle, Fürstengraben 27, Jena
Further information
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SPAAM Ancient Metagenomics Summer School 2025
August 4 to 8, 2025 | 9 am to 5 pm | online
This summer school offers a hands-on introduction to host-associated ancient metagenomics, equipping participants with practical skills in bioinformatic workflows and NGS data analysis through lectures, exercises, and expert discussions.
Application Deadline: May 30, 2025 - Website
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Aging and Microbiome Conference 2025
October 28 to 29, 2025 | Rosensäle, Fürstengraben 27, Jena
Further information
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More dates from the Microverse
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New teaching guide brings microbiology into the classroom
In a joint effort with the Biology Education Research Group at the University of Jena, led by Prof. Uwe Hoßfeld, the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" has released a new teaching guide titled "Mikrobiologie in der Schule" (Microbiology in Schools). Aimed at biology teachers of grades 7–12, the guide offers clear explanations, practical experiment ideas, and an accessible introduction to microbiology—an often-overlooked topic in standard curricula.
This collaborative project strengthens STEM education by connecting cutting-edge research with classroom teaching. The guide is now available for free download.
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Title page of the guide
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Read more & download
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Selected Publications
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Kepesidis KV, Jacob P, Schweinberger W, Huber M, Feiler N, Fleischmann F, Trubetskov M, Voronina L, Aschauer J, Eissa T, Gigou L, Karandusovsky P, Pupeza I, Weigel A, Azzeer A, Stief CG, Chaloupka M, Reinmuth N, Behr J, Kolben T, Harbeck N, Reiser M, Krausz F, Zigman M. Electric-Field Molecular Fingerprinting to Probe Cancer. ACS Cent Sci. 2025;11(4):560-73.
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Benea-Chelmus I-C, Faist J, Leitenstorfer A, Moskalenko AS, Pupeza I, Seletskiy DV, Vodopyanov KL. Electro-optic sampling of classical and quantum light. Optica. 2025;12(4).
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Bull F, Tavaddod S, Bommer N, Perry M, Brackley CA, Allen RJ. Different factors control long-term versus short-term outcomes for bacterial colonisation of a urinary catheter. Nat Commun. 2025;16(1):3940.
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Wohnert J, Neissner K, Duchardt-Ferner E, Wiedemann C, Kraus J, Hellmich UA. Protonated Glutamate and Aspartate Side Chains Can Recognize Phosphodiester Groups via Strong and Short Hydrogen Bonds in Biomacromolecular Complexes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2025:e202501589.
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Westfall S, Gentile ME, Olsen TM, Karo-Atar D, Bogza A, Rostel F, Pardy RD, Mandato G, Fontes G, Herbert D, Melichar HJ, Abadie V, Richer MJ, Vinh DC, Koenig JFE, Harrison OJ, Divangahi M, Weis S, Gregorieff A, King IL. A type 1 immune-stromal cell network mediates disease tolerance against intestinal infection. Cell. 2025.
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Zhao T, Jia X, Nepal J, Attard E, Guyoneaud R, Elzenga JTM, Falcao Salles J. A microbiome perspective of Grime's triangle and plant ecological trade-offs. Trends Plant Sci. 2025.
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Percin G, Riege K, Frobel J, Metz J, Culemann S, Lesche M, Reinhardt S, Hofer T, Hoffmann S, Waskow C. Embryonic macrophages orchestrate niche cell homeostasis for the establishment of the definitive hematopoietic stem cell pool. Nat Commun. 2025;16(1):4428.
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Romashkina A, Sushil S, Barreda AI, Fedorova Z, Abtahi F, Doolaard N, Zhang Z, Helgert C, Staude I, Eilenberger F, Pertsch T, Tugchin BN. Enhanced Exciton–Plasmon Interaction Enabling Observation of Near-Field Photoluminescence in a WSe2–Gold Nanoparticle Hybrid System. ACS Photonics. 2025.
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Vareschi S, Jaut V, Vijay S, Allen RJ, Schreiber F. Antimicrobial efflux and biofilms: an interplay leading to emergent resistance evolution. Trends Microbiol. 2025.
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All publications
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