Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science
The Division of Microbial Ecology | DOME at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science | CeMESS is a team of microbiologists and molecular biologists. Our mission is to unravel the complexities of microbial life and its profound impact on our health and environment.
Our researchers explore the evolution, ecophysiology, interactions and functions of microbes across a broad range of systems. We apply cutting-edge methods, from 'omics analysis, to single-cell isotope probing, to microbial imaging, to computational community modelling.
Get to know our research by exploring our active projects and the researcher profiles of our principle investigators.
We are committed to nurturing the next generation of scientists, including undergraduate and doctoral programs, as well as intensive methods-based courses.
Our Facilities and Ressources include Joint Microbiome Facility, NanoSIMS, probeBase, and daime.
Around 70 researchers from different institutions in ten countries gathered in Vienna for the 22nd ChlamydienWorkshop. The meeting was organized by…
The new CeMESS Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) paid its inaugural visit to the Centre. An All Hands Meeting introduced CeMESS, and over two days…
Congratulations to Yujia Luo, who received a highly competitive Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship for her project “Tracing microbial…
DOME postdoctoral researcher Pegah Kalatehjari has been awarded a mobility fellowship from the University of Vienna. She will spend an eight-week stay…
We are delighted to congratulate Bettina Glasl and Sarah Förster on their recognition at the Haus-des-Meeres Science Day 2026.
Chemist Thomas Böttcher, joint Professor at CeMESS and the Faculty of Chemistry, has been awarded a Proof of Concept Grant by the ERC. This brings the…
Melanie Schirmer
Carolin Wendling
Fengping Wang
Mohammadzadeh R, Mahnert A, Zurabishvili T, Wink L, Kumpitsch C, Habisch H et al. Cross-domain metabolic interactions link Methanobrevibacter smithii to colorectal cancer microbial ecosystems. Nature Communications. 2026 Feb 20. Epub 2026 Feb 20. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-69711-7
Zhang R, Mayer L, Hikida H, Shichino Y, Mito M, Willemsen A et al. A giant virus forms a specialized subcellular environment within its amoeba host for efficient translation. Nature Microbiology. 2026 Jan 9. Epub 2026 Jan 9. doi: 10.1101/2024.10.07.616867, 10.1038/s41564-025-02234-x
Ye H, Šlipogor V, Hanson BT, Séneca J, Hausmann B, Herbold CW et al. Associations between gut microbiota and personality traits: insights from a captive common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) colony. Microbiology Spectrum. 2026 Jan 6;14(1):e00443-25. Epub 2025 Nov 18. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00443-25
Stuehrenberg J, Kitzinger K, von Arx JN, Graf JS, Lavik G, Littmann S et al. Urea use drives niche separation between dominant marine ammonia oxidizing archaea. Nature Communications. 2025 Dec 6;16(1):1-12. 10946. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-67048-1
Bauchinger F, Berry D. Metatranscriptomic-driven insights into mucosal glycan degradation by the human gut microbiota. FEMS microbiology ecology. 2025 Dec 4;102(1):fiaf118. doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaf118
University of Vienna
