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Zooming Into the Microverse: Events, Ideas, and a Lot of Curiosity
As the days get shorter, our event list gets longer – and trust us, the microbes are just as busy as we are. This issue brings you everything from Julia Frunzke’s upcoming JEMS seminar to a Science Slam that will make you laugh, learn, and possibly question your career choices.
We’ve also got:
- The Microverse Logo Contest – aka the moment you've all been waiting for to turn petri dishes, pixels, or pure chaos into design brilliance.
- Updates from our Education Committee – the team shaping tomorrow’s microbial minds.
- A Diversity Committee meeting – bring your ideas, bring your lunch, bring your curiosity.
- The IFiF “I’m a Mom in Science” campaign – shining a light on the superheroes who juggle lab life and family life.
- Microbial cooperation, online coffee lectures, and more events than your calendar bargained for.
Happy reading, and may the rest of your week be awesome!
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Portrait Julia Frunzke, Photo: Forschungszentrum Jülich
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JEMS in December 2025
We are excited to announce the upcoming talk in the Jena Excellence in Microbiology Seminar (JEMS) series:
JEMS brings together leading experts to share cutting-edge research and foster collaboration within the microbiology community.
The seminar is open to all interested members of the Microverse Cluster and beyond. No registration is required.
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Further Information
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Slice, Chat & Science — Meet the Microverse Candidates!
As part of our joint recruitment for our next funding phase, we’re excited to welcome selected candidates who are interested in postdoc or doctoral positions to Jena!
Join us for an informal Pizza Evening on November 19 at 6.30 pm at Neugasse 23!
We invite Microverse and JSMC postdocs and PhD candidates to enjoy pizza, meet our visitors, and share your experiences about life and research in Jena.
Please send a short message to Silvia (silvia.kolossa@uni-jena.de) by November 15th.
Let’s give our guests a warm Jena welcome! 🍕✨
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Petri dishes with Aliivibrio fischeri at the Microverse Science Event at this year's MINT Festival. (Photo: Anna Schroll)
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REMINDER: Petri, Pixels, Possibilities: Reinvent the Microverse Logo!
We’re looking for creative, surprising, and smart visual interpretations of the Microverse Logo!
Whether you recreate it in a Petri dish, under the microscope, in nature, or through digital art – let your imagination run wild.
What you can win:
Submission deadline: November 15, 2025
How to enter: Send your creation in print quality and a commonly used image format (e.g., JPG, PNG, TIFF) to contact@microverse-cluster.de.
Logo files are available on the Microverse intranet for your reference and inspiration.
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| We can’t wait to see your ideas come to life! |
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Microverse Guide for Teachers (Photo: Anna Schroll)
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Meet Our Microverse Education Committee
Our Microverse Education Committee brings together dedicated members who are passionate about developing and improving our educational activities. The committee currently includes Christian Jogler (Committee Lead), Kirsten Küsel, Uwe Hoßfeld, Vivien Hotter, Elke-Martina Jung, Katrin Krause, Stefanie Wagner, Kathi Fröhlich, Aurélie Jost, and Sandy Ludwig.
Everyone is warmly invited to share ideas, suggestions, or topics you’d like us to address — your input is always welcome! Just send an email to sandy.ludwig@uni-jena.de.
We’ll be sharing more updates and plans from the committee soon, so stay tuned!
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Microverse Diversity and Culture
Diversity Committee Meeting
December 2, 2025 | 12 pm | Leibniz HKI, Nucleus Cafeteria, Beutenbergstraße 11a, 07745 Jena
You're warmly invited to join our next Diversity Committee meeting on Thursday, December 2 at 12 pm, in the Nucleus Cafeteria. We’ll chat about Microverse diversity topics in a relaxed setting — feel free to join just once or regularly!
Please note: food and drinks aren’t provided, so you're welcome to buy something at the café.
Hope to see you there!
Did you know? Support for caregivers
If you are taking care of an adult family member, or a family member with disabilities, you should be aware of the myriad of resources offered by government and non-profit organizations in Jena. These resources range from medical advice, financial and time support, and stress reduction measures for the caregiver. Please check out our new Info Sheet for Persons with Care Responsibilities or the University's Family Office website on this topic to get an overview of these resources. The university also offers workshops throughout the year to help employees prepare for the eventuality of being in such a care-giving situation.
Visibility for Moms in Science
The IFiF project Moms@Science has launched the campaign “I’m a Mom in Science” to increase the visibility of mothers working in academia. All researchers who identify as moms are invited to take part by answering a few short questions and sharing a photo via momsatscience@ph-freiburg.de.
Selected stories will be featured on the project’s social media channels — showcasing the diverse and inspiring experiences of moms in science.
Your Diversity Committe
Rosalind Allen, Merle Hammer, Silvia Kolossa, Anna Komor & Johannes Zimmermann
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JSMC: Microbial Communication Colloquium (MiCoCo) with Prof. Christian Kost
November 12, 2025 | 5 to 6 pm | Lecture Hall of the Erbertstraße 1, 07743 Jena
The next MiCoCo welcomes Prof. Christian Kost from the University of Osnabrück, who will give a talk on
“Evolution of Metabolic Cooperation within Microbial Communities.”
Prof. Kost, Professor of Ecology at the University of Osnabrück since 2016, investigates the evolution and ecology of microbial cooperation, metabolic cross-feeding, microbial interaction networks, and multicellular behavior in bacteria. In his talk, he will explore how microbial communities use cooperative interactions to efficiently utilize resources and form stable associations, and how ecological and spatial factors shape the emergence and persistence of such cooperative traits.
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| Following the talk, up to nine JSMC members (PhDs, postdocs, or professors) are invited to join a networking dinner with Prof. Kost at Zur Noll. Interested participants can register via email to the JSMC speakers — places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. |
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2025 Winter Semester Online Coffee Lecture Series
The Thuringian Competence Network for Research Data Management invites researchers to its Online Coffee Lecture Series this winter semester. Under the motto “Research Tools 4 All: Smart Solutions for Thuringian Researchers”, the series presents helpful tools developed in and for Thuringia that can make everyday research easier — including AI tools available through HS-ITZ, Galaxy, and eLabFTW.
- When: Monthly on Wednesdays, online via Zoom
- Why join: Discover practical digital tools and get inspiration for your own research workflows.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and tune in – it’s worth it!
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| All dates and registration |
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Science Slam at Theater Cafe Jena (Photo: Anna Schroll)
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One night, one stage, one mic – and a lot of science!
November 18, 2025 | 7 pm | Lecture Hall of the Erbertstraße 1, 07743 Jena
On November 18 at 7 PM, the Big Lecture Hall, Erbertstraße, will turn into a stage for science packed with fun, passion, and creativity! At the Junior-GBM Science Slam, young researchers from Jena take the spotlight to show how fascinating life sciences can be – understandable, engaging, and all in just a few minutes per talk.
Get ready for inspiring insights from:
- Dr. Clara Correia-Melo – Research Group Leader, Leibniz-FLI
- Raghav Vij – PhD Student, Leibniz-HKI
- Lena Raupach – PhD Student, UKJ
- Deniz Gedik – PhD Student, FSU Jena
Join us for an evening full of curiosity, laughter, and scientific storytelling – and help decide who takes home the Science Slam crown!
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| Participation is free, but registration is required. |
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Open Calls
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Upcoming Events
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ELLIS Unit Jena exhibition: "When Machines Learn for Nature: AI Research on Climate and Biodiversity"
November 6 to December 12, 2025 | University Main Building, Fürstengraben 1, Second Floor, 07743 Jena
Further Information
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Nacht der Biosignale (Night of Biosignals)
November 7, 2025 | 5 to 10 pm | University Main Building, Fürstengraben 1, Assembly Hall, 07743 Jena
Further Information
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Microverse Seminar with Tanmay Bharat
November 11, 2025 | 12.15 pm | Leibniz-HKI, Building A8, Seminar Room Pasteur, Beutenbergstr. 11a, 07745 Jena
Further Information
- Career Days 2025
November 11 to 13, 2025 | 9 am to 8 pm | Online
Further Information
- KI Barcamp Jena
November 14 to 15, 2025 | Freie Gesamtschule Universaale, Burgauer Weg 1, 07745 Jena
Registration
- LIFE Symposium
November 26, 2025 | 12 to 6 pm | Center for Applied Research (ZAF), Philosophenweg 7, 07743 Jena
Further Information
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To Be Honest Conference 2025
December 5 to 6, 2026 | Online
Further Information
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More dates from the Microverse
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Selected Publications
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Luke LM, Papenfort K. One transcript, two functions: the emerging roles of dual-function RNAs. microLife. 2025.
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Lange T, Sprague JL, Vij R, Alonso-Roman R, Jablonowski N, Radosa S, Kruger T, Kniemeyer O, Hillmann F, Brakhage AA, Allert S, Brunke S, Hube B. "Pour some sugar on me"-Environmental Candida albicans isolates and the evolution of increased pathogenicity and antifungal resistance through sugar adaptation. PLoS Pathog. 2025;21(10):e1013542.
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Hoshyaripour S, Mauri M, Hobbs JK, Foster SJ, Allen RJ. Cell wall mechanical stress could coordinate septal synthesis and scission in Staphylococcus aureus. mBio. 2025:e0172825.
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Heinze BM, Schwab VF, Kusel K, Schloemer S, Roskam A, Xu X, Trumbore S. Microbial oxidation significantly reduces methane export from global groundwaters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025;122(42):e2508773122.
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Vogt LN, Gomariz MV, Siemers M, Papenfort K, Frohlich KS. An RNA sponge directs the transition from feast to famine in Caulobacter crescentus. Nat Commun. 2025;16(1):9478.
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Fu Z, Rumpret M, Kube-Golovin I, Lyndin M, Solntceva V, Zhao Y, Konieva A, Liu N, Press AT, Flohe SB, Bauer M, Wennemuth G, Singer BB, McCarthy AJ. LILRA5 Functions to Induce ROS Production on Innate Immune Cells. Eur J Immunol. 2025;55(10):e70079.
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Garbe E, Schauble S, Bottcher B, Jesse R, Driesch D, van Wilijck L, Elshafee O, Schille TB, Hube B, Panagiotou G, Vylkova S. A multi-omics analysis unveils functional and regulatory links between hydroxybenzene and aromatic amino acid metabolism in Candida albicans. mSystems. 2025:e0022625.
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Gabashvili E, Kusel K, Pratama AA, Wang H, Taubert M. Growth of candidate phyla radiation bacteria in groundwater incubations reveals widespread adaptations to oxic conditions. Microbiome. 2025;13(1):224.
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All publications
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