Microbiology

Department

The mission of the Microbiology department is to conduct research at the forefront of microbial ecology and physiology with the main aim of understanding the diversity, ecology, and physiology of microorganisms responsible for the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and carbon (methane).

The Microbiology department is part of the Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences.

Highlights

Below are the highlights of the Microbiology research group. View all News, Events, Publications, Projects, Staff, and Vacancies.

Vidi grants for research on cells, magnetism, biogas and more

29 June 2023 Research news item

NWO has awarded ten Nijmegen researchers Vidi funding of up to 800,000 euros. This will allow them to develop their own innovative line of research and set up a research group over the next five years.

MARIX

Research

The ERC synergy project MARIX studies marine redox transitions to understand how they remove toxic ammonium and methane. It combines fieldwork, lab experiments and modelling to explore new microbial pathways and their environmental impact.

Several glass bottles marked BES1, BES2, etc, in a laboratory situation

Biogas to bioenergy

Research

The project Biogas to bioenergy investigates how certain micro-organisms generate electricity, and how we can apply this quality for electricity production and for reducing methane emissions from e.g. water treatment plants.

Research

The Microbiology department conducts research on microorganisms in freshwater and marine systems, studying their physiology, interactions, survival strategies and involvement in nitrogen and methane cycles.

In close collaboration with stakeholders and industrial partners, the department collaborates on the development of microbial applications in sustainable drinking water production and wastewater treatment systems in order to remove nitrogen, methane and micropollutants (CECs).

There is a focus on the following research themes: 1. Nitrogen Cycle Microbiology, 2. Carbon/Methane Cycle Microbiology, 3. Host-Microbe Interactions, and 4. Bioremediation.

The department collaborates on these themes with expertise in microbial metabolomics, microbial cell biology and biochemistry, environmental microbiology, microbial biotechnology, microbial physiology, microbial bioinformatics, geomicrobiology and biogeochemistry.

Publications

Internships

Would you like to do your internship at the Microbiology department? Please get in touch for more information. A few examples of relevant subjects are:

Microbial Removal of Organic Micropollutants Under Wastewater Treatment Conditions
Multi-Omic Characterisation of Nitrospira Moscoviensis
Biochemistry and Molecular Mechanism of Hydrazine Synthase in the Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidizer Kuenenia Stuttgartiensis
Novel Methane- and Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms from Acidic Environments
Biochemistry and Physiology of a Metabolite Produced by Stressed Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
Effect of Seawater Intrusion and Increased Salinization on Methane Emission

The research department offers various Bachelor's and Master's courses. The department is closely involved in the Bachelor's Biology and the Master's specialisation Microbiology. Coordinator of the education programmes is Cornelia Welte.

Internships