Short presentation

I am trained in marine biology and microbial ecology but have broad interdisciplinary interests ranging from technicalities of sensor development, over a fascination of single cell microbiology and behaviour, to studies of microenvironmental controls and microbial interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems, but also in medical biofilms and chronic infections. I enjoy working at the boundaries and interfaces of different scientific disciplines and implement sensor chemistry, photonics, 3D bioprinting and advanced imaging approaches in my research.

Microenvironmental Ecology Research Group:
4 postdocs, 1 PhD student, 5 MSc students, 1 technician

Research interests:
Microenvironmental ecology of surface-associated microbial communities, aquatic plants and marine symbioses; Microsensor and imaging techniques for biogeochemical analysis of microenvironments, mass transfer and metabolic rates; Optical properties and photobiology of sediments, photosynthetic tissues and biofilms; Microbial behaviour and activity in gradient systems; 3D Bioprinting; Biophotonics.

Teaching
BSc Biology study: Marine Field Biology, Applied Marine Biology
MSc Biology study: Arctic Biology; Advanced Bacteriology; Marine Biology; Marine Microbiology and Virology.
Bi-annual Ph.D. course: Microsensor Analysis in Environmental Science.
Annual Ph.D. course: Advanced Biofilm Course.

Experimental techniques:
Electrochemical and fiber-optic microsensors; Ratiometric and life-time based luminescence imaging of oxygen and pH; Variable chlorophyll fluorescence imaging; Confocal microscopy and light sheet microscopy; Microspectrometry and hyper-spectral imaging; 3D Bioprinting; Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT); Planar and nano/micro particle-based chemical sensing; Cultivation.

Current projects
Photobiology of surface-associated microbial communities and symbioses.
Microbiology and biogeochemistry of microbial mats in hot springs (East Greenland & Yellowstone National Park, USA).
Marine symbiosis and coral bleaching (Great Barrier Reef, Australia).
Microscopic imaging of oxygen, pH and active chlorophyll fluorescence.
Optics and photobiology of photosynthetic biofilms, plant and animal tissues.
Hyper-spectral imaging of photosynthetic communities and tissues.
Microenvironment and microbiology of Ikka columns (Greenland).
Microenvironmental analysis of biofilms. 3D Bioprinting of living structures.
Biophotonics of corals and diatoms.
Microenvironment of macroalgae and seagrasses.
Oxidative stress in biofilms, corals and other symbioses.
Microenvironmental Ecology of chronic Infections.

Other activities
Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (2006-present).
Scientific cruise leader on the Galathea 3 expedition 2006 (Leg. Accra,Ghana-Cape Town, South Africa).
Associate editor of Environmental Microbiology, Biofilm and Frontiers of Marine Science - Coral Research; Member of the Faculty of 1000 /Biology/Environmental Microbiology

Institutional activities
Deputy head for research at the Department of Biology (2006-2015).

Other affiliations

(2010-present) Adjunct professor, Climate Change Cluster, Universuty of Technology Sydney, Australia.

(2011-2015) Visiting professor, Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang technological University, Singapore.

Current funding:

2018-2020, Villum Foundation: “Printing microbial forests” (PI, Experiment project, 2 million DKK).

2018-2021, Independent Research Fund Denmark | Natural Sciences (FNU): “Ecophysiology of far-red light absorbing cyanobacteria” (PI, type-2 grant, 6.1 million DKK)

2018-2021, Independent Research Fund Denmark | Technical and Production Sciences (FTP): “Resolving chemical microenvironments of large microbes” (PI, Project type-1 grant, 2.5 million DKK)

2018, Carlsberg Foundation: “A 3D bioprinter for photobiological studies of biofilms” (PI, Instrument grant, 0.27 million DKK)

2018-2020, Australian Research Council:“Coral health in future climates: Diagnosing tipping points under accelerating coastal hypoxia” (Co-PI, ARC Discovery grant, 36 months, 4 million DKK)

2016-2019, Danish Council for Independent Research | Technical and Production Sciences (FTP): “Better hydrogen peroxide sensors for biomedical application” (PI, Project type-2 grant, 6.2 million DKK).

2014-2018, Danish Council for Independent Research | Natural Sciences (FNU): “Quantum efficiency and bio-optics of aquatic phototrophs” (PI, Sapere-Aude Advanced grant, 11.8 million DKK).

Main supervisor/host for postdoctoral career grants:

2020-2022, European Union: “Bio-inspired and bionic materials for enhanced photosynthesis (BEEP)” (EU ITN Grant, PhD fellowship 36 months, Co-PI and main supervisor, 2 million DKK)
2017-2019, European Union: “The Double Edged Role of Nitric Oxide and Hydrogen Peroxide in a Coral Symbiosis”
(Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Restart Fellowship 24 months, main host for Verena Schrameyer, 1.5 million DKK)

2017-2019, Carlsberg Foundation: “The Seagrass Microbiome: Effects on Nutrient Acquisition and Sediment Detoxification”
(Postdoc fellowship grant, 24 months, main host for Kasper E. Brodersen, 1.2 million DKK)

Research output (1992-present):
A total of 281 publications (published or in press) from 1992-present, consisting of 258 papers in peer-reviewed journals, proceedings and books, 12 proceedings papers and reports, 1 edited e-book, and 10 popular science papers. Includes 2 Nature [IF 41.577], 1 Advanced Functional Materials [IF 13.325], 1 Trends in Plant Science [IF 12.149],1 Trends in Microbiology [IF 11.776], 2 PNAS [IF 9.504], and 11 ISME Journal [IF 9.520] papers.

20 publications in WoS with >100 citations;
Lifetime average of >38 citations per article and >338 citations per year.