A Community in Transition: What’s Next for the Microverse?

May is a decisive month for "Balance of the Microverse". On May 22, the German Research Foundation (DFG) will announce which Clusters of Excellence will receive funding in the next round of the Excellence Strategy. As we count down to this key moment, we invite you to join us in following the livestream and keeping your fingers crossed for the future of our Cluster and the new initiative "Imaginamics" here in Jena.

This newsletter also brings you plenty of inspiring updates from across our community:

• We celebrate Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel’s election to the Leopoldina, a milestone that underscores her leadership in microbiology and interdisciplinary research.

• We welcome Sandy Ludwig, who joined the team as our new Outreach Manager—bringing new energy to our science communication and education efforts.

• Don’t miss our upcoming Microverse Seminar on May 6 with Sebastian Leptihn on phage therapy, or the virtual info session on pregnancy and early parenthood on April 29.

• We also highlight events such as the Data Science Day, the 1^st Sustainability Week at the University of Jena, and a book club discussion on the state of science itself.

• Finally, you’ll find a rich selection of new publications from our researchers—spanning microbial ecology, host-microbiome interactions, bioactive natural products, and more.

Thank you for being part of the Microverse community—and for your continued support during this exciting time!

Professor of Aquatic Geomicrobiology at the University of Jena and spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence: Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel | Image: Svea Pietschmann

Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel elected to the Leopoldina

Microverse spokesperson and microbiologist Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel has been elected to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina—one of the highest honors for researchers in Germany. Her pioneering work in microbial ecology, biogeochemical cycles, and the deep biosphere has not only advanced scientific understanding but also shaped interdisciplinary collaborations across the country. With this recognition, she joins an international network of leading scientists committed to research “for the benefit of man and nature.”

Read more about this prestigious appointment

Graphic: Juliane Seeber

DFG to Announce New and Renewed Clusters of Excellence on May 22, 2025

The German Research Foundation (DFG) will announce the results of the Excellence Strategy’s final funding decision on Thursday, May 22, starting at 5:00 p.m. The event will be livestreamed here.

The University of Jena is in the running with two proposals: the renewal application for "Balance of the Microverse" and the new cluster initiative "Imaginamics".

Fingers crossed for both! Join us in watching the livestream and showing your support for Jena’s cutting-edge research.

Further Information

Microverse Seminar: Sebastian Leptihn

May 6, 2025, 12:15 pm | Seminar room Louis Pasteur, Building A8, Leibniz-HKI, Jena

We are very happy to announce our Microverse Seminar speaker for May:

• Sebastian Leptihn
  Professor for Biochemistry & Microbiology
  Health & Medical University - Erfurt, Germany
• Topic: "Phage Therapy: An Evolutionary Tug-of-War with Bacterial Pathogens“

No registration required. Afterwards, we invite you to a lively discussion over coffee and cake.

Portrait Sandy Ludwig | Photo: Anna Schroll

Personalia: New Outreach Manager at the Microverse Cluster

Hello everybody,

I’m Sandy Ludwig, and since April 15th I have been the new Outreach Manager at the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse", taking over the role from Antje Nieber.

I have an academic background in Communication Science and worked in the marketing field for several years - both as an employee and a freelancer - developing concepts and content for different target groups. For the past three years, I’ve also been studying education alongside my work.

Joining the Cluster marks an exciting new beginning for me, as I now get to fully dedicate myself to educational outreach. I’m very much looking forward to collaborating with my colleagues and bringing the fascinating world of the microverse to young minds.

If you have ideas, suggestions, or simply want to connect, feel free to reach out to me at sandy.ludwig@uni-jena.de

Virtual Information Session on Pregnancy and Early Parenthood

April 29, 2025 | 9 to 10 am | online

We’ll mainly cover topics on maternity/parental leave and workplace rights, but also give advice on important resources. All expecting mothers, fathers, and co-parents are welcome!

There will also be time for Q&A, so feel free to bring your questions!

Contact for information: Silvia (silvia.kolossa@uni-jena.de)

Upcoming Events

• Host-Microbiome Metabolic Cross-Talk: What Does it Mean to Aging?
  With Clara Correia-Melo (Leibniz Institut für Alternsforschung - Fritz-Lipmann-Institut)
  April 28, 2025 | from 5:30 pm | Rosensäle (Fürstengraben 27, 07743 Jena)

• Science Meets Society Book Club - "Science Fictions" by Stuart Ritchies
  April 30, 2025 | 3:30 to 5:30 pm | Leibniz-HKI - Nucleus Cafe (Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena)
  Further information

• OpenIRIS - 2^nd User Day at the University of Jena & JenaVersum
  May 6, 2025 | 2 to 4 pm | Auditorium Zur Rosen (Johannisstraße 13, 07743 Jena)
  Further information

• Data Science Day Jena 2025
  May 14, 2025 | 1 to 7:30 pm | Rosensäle (Fürstengraben 27, 07743 Jena)
  Further information

• FLI Colloquium: Edwin Lim
  May 15, 2025 | 3 to 4 pm | FLI 1, Seminar room “Nucleus” (Beutenbergstraße 11, 07745 Jena)
  Title: "Altered Tryptophan Metabolism in Neuroinflammation and Aging"
  Further information

• ZEIT für Forschung (Time for Research) - Pharma & Healthcare
  May 22, 2025 | all day |  Design Offices Berlin Humboldthafen (Alexanderufer 3-7, 10117 Berlin)
  Further information (german-language)

• Writing a DFG proposal: programs and advice to foster your career - with Dr Andreas Strecker
  June 16, 2025 | 9:30 to 10:30 am | Leibniz-HKI, Seminar room Louis Pasteur (Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena)
  Further information

• SPAAM Ancient Metagenomics Summer School 2025
  August 4 to 8, 2025 | 9 am to 5 pm | online
  Application Deadline: May 30, 2025 - Website

More dates from the Microverse

Cover for Sustainability Week - three figures with six puzzle pieces with symbols of the SDGs | Image: VectorMine/stock.adobe.com, edited by L. Franke

1^st Sustainability Week at the University of Jena

May 5 to 9, 2025

The action week is dedicated to various aspects of sustainability and is organised by the Green Office with the support of various partners.

The events are aimed at both students and employees. Particularly interesting programme items for you as employees are

• Monday, May 5 - Climate justice: movie night with “Ecocide”
• Tuesday, May 6 - Health: Online event on heat stress in the workplace (especially for employees).
• Tuesday, May 6 - “Keep a cool head: Healthy working and studying on hot days - hands-on activity by Health Management”.
• Wednesday, May 7 - Mobility: Bicycle repair day on the Ernst-Abbe-Platz campus
• Thursday, May 8 - Resources (paper): Workshop on paper consumption and saving paper - practical tips for a more sustainable everyday office life (especially for employees) & an online quiz on the subject of paper as a resource (available from May 5).

There will also be a clothes and plant swap bazaar in the foyer of Carl-Zeiß-Straße 3 throughout the week. Take the opportunity to swap sustainably instead of buying new. Every day between 11:30 and 12:30 we will host a Green Office information stand - also in the foyer of Carl-Zeiß-Str. 3 or on Ernst-Abbe-Platz, weather permitting.

All events are free of charge, but registration is required for some of them - this is now open.

We look forward to your participation and your interest in sustainable topics!

Further information on the Sustainability Week and the full programme can be found on the Website of the Green Office.

Call: Bf3R Research Funding - Replacement, Reduction and Refinement

Deadline: May 31, 2025

Every two years, the German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) awards funds for scientific research projects addressing the 3R principle (Replace, Reduce, Refine). Projects are funded that serve to replace and reduce the use of laboratory animals in areas of medical research or basic biological research, or that aim to identify, classify, and reduce pain, suffering, or harm in laboratory animals and improve husbandry conditions. With an annual total budget of approximately 350,000 euros, innovative projects of high scientific quality are funded for a total duration of up to 3 years.

In particular, young scientists should obtain the opportunity to work on innovative and ambitious research projects that challenge established knowledge and question conventional hypotheses as part of a proof-of-concept study in order to obtain experimental data for a successful follow-up application for further funding (e. g. DFG, BMBF).

Selected Publications

• Demina T, Marttila H, Pessi IS, Mannisto MK, Dutilh BE, Roux S, Hultman J. Tunturi virus isolates and metagenome-assembled viral genomes provide insights into the virome of Acidobacteriota in Arctic tundra soils. Microbiome. 2025;13(1):79.

• Nikitashina L, Chen X, Radosa L, Li K, Strassburger M, Seelbinder B, Bohnke W, Vielreicher S, Nietzsche S, Heinekamp T, Jacobsen ID, Panagiotou G, Brakhage AA. The murine lung microbiome is disbalanced by the human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus resulting in enrichment of anaerobic bacteria. Cell Rep. 2025;44(3):115442.

• Zhang S, Huang Y, Nachawati R, Huber P, Walther G, Gregor L, Vilotijevic I, Stallforth P. Pangenome analysis of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae reveals unique natural products for niche adaptation. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2025:e202503679.

• Burkle M, Korf IHE, Lippegaus A, Krautwurst S, Rohde C, Weissfuss C, Nouailles G, Tene XM, Gaborieau B, Ghigo JM, Ricard JD, Hocke AC, Papenfort K, Debarbieux L, Witzenrath M, Wienhold SM, Krishnamoorthy G. Phage-phage competition and biofilms affect interactions between two virulent bacteriophages and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. ISME J. 2025.

• Herzog E, Ishida K, Scherlach K, Chen X, Bartels B, Niehs SP, Cheaib B, Panagiotou G, Hertweck C. Antibacterial siderophores of Pandoraea pathogens and their impact on the diseased lung microbiota. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2025:e202505714.

• Zhang S, Schlabach K, Perez Carrillo VH, Ibrahim A, Nayem S, Komor A, Mukherji R, Chowdhury S, Reimer L, Trottmann F, Vlot AC, Hertweck C, Hellmich UA, Stallforth P. A chemical radar allows bacteria to detect and kill predators. Cell. 2025.

• Bogdanova O, Krause K, Pietschmann S, Kothe E. Drivers of fungal and bacterial communities in ectomycorrhizospheres of birch, oak, and pine in a former uranium mining site, Ronneburg, Germany. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2025.

• Haufschild T, Hammer J, Rabold N, Plut V, Jogler C, Kallscheuer N. Novel tools for genomic modification and heterologous gene expression in the phylum Planctomycetota. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2025;109(1):79.

• Fröhlich K. Den regulatorischen RNAs in Klebsiella pneumoniae auf der Spur. BIOspektrum. 2025;31(2):151-3.

• Lopez Romo G, Santamaria RI, Bustos P, Echavarria F, Reveles Torres LR, Van Cauwenberghe J, Gonzalez V. The rhizosphere of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cultivars hosts a similar bacterial community in local agricultural soils. PLoS One. 2025;20(3):e0319172.

All publications