New Professor at Leibniz-HKI and the University of Jena: Prof. Dr. Sarela García-Santamarina Leads Deep Microbiome Metabolomics Department
The Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" welcomes Prof. Dr. Sarela García-Santamarina, the newly appointed head of the Deep Microbiome Metabolomics department at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI) and the University of Jena. This marks an exciting expansion of the institute's research profile.
Prof. García-Santamarina and her team will focus on understanding how complex microbial communities metabolize specific molecules, including active pharmaceutical ingredients. Her work aims to uncover how the gut microbiome alters drugs, influencing their efficacy and leading to individual variations in treatment outcomes.
An accomplished microbiologist originally from Spain, Prof. García-Santamarina's career spans prestigious institutions across Europe and the United States. After studying chemistry in Spain, she completed a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology of Infectious Diseases in London and a PhD in biomedicine back in Spain. Her postdoctoral research took her to Duke University in the USA and EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany, supported by a Marie Curie Fellowship. Most recently, she led her research group in Portugal, focusing on microbiome metabolism.
Her work strengthens the application-oriented research of the Leibniz-HKI and contributes to the Balance of the Microverse Cluster’s mission.
“The international and warm atmosphere at the Leibniz-HKI has inspired me from the very beginning. I am delighted to be part of this interdisciplinary research institute and to be able to pass on my enthusiasm for research to the next generation through teaching,” says Prof. García-Santamarina.
The Microverse Cluster is excited to collaborate with Prof. García-Santamarina and looks forward to her contributions to advancing microbiome research in Jena.
For more information about her work and the HKI-Website.