Univ.-Prof. Dr. Holger Daims
Deputy Head of the Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science
Deputy Head of the Division of Microbial Ecology
☎ +43 1 4277 91204
✉ holger.daims@univie.ac.at
Our research focuses on microorganisms driving the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle, with particular emphasis on key players in the nitrification process: nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox). Employing various molecular, 'omics', and microbial physiology techniques, we identify new nitrifying microbes and investigate the metabolism, ecophysiology, and evolution of these elusive organisms. Our objective is to gain a fundamental biological understanding of nitrification in natural and engineered ecosystems, which could also improve management practices in agriculture and wastewater treatment, and mitigate greenhouse gas (nitrous oxide) emissions.
Another area of interest are microbe-microbe interactions within complex microbiomes, such as biofilms in engineered and natural environments. Integrating 'omics', fluorescence and chemical imaging, and computational approaches, we pinpoint microbial partners and uncover their in situ interactions. Our aim is to reveal core principles of microbial interactions that govern the composition, spatial structuring, and functional adaptability of microbial communities.
Research Topics
Join the Team
If you are interested in joining our team, explore our open positions and learn more about available PhD and postdoc stipends here.
Teaching
To view Holger Daims' teaching activities at the University of Vienna, visit u:find.
Group Members
Publications
Koch, H., Galushko, A., Albertsen, M.
, Schintlmeister, A., Gruber-Dorninger, C., Lücker, S., Pelletier, E., Le Paslier, D., Spieck, E.
, Richter, A., Nielsen, P. H.
, Wagner, M., & Daims, H. (2014).
Growth of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria by aerobic hydrogen oxidation.
Science,
345(6200), 1052-1054.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1256985
Remus-Emsermann, M. N. P., Lücker, S., Mueller, D. B., Potthoff, E.
, Daims, H., & Vorholt, J. A. (2014).
Spatial distribution analyses of natural phyllosphere-colonizing bacteria on Arabidopsis thaliana revealed by fluorescence in situ hybridization.
Environmental Microbiology,
16(7), 2329-2340.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12482
Sorokin, D. Y., Vejmelkova, D., Lücker, S., Streshinskaya, G. M., Rijpstra, W. I. C., Damste, J. S. S., Kleerbezem, R., van Loosdrecht, M., Muyzer, G.
, & Daims, H. (2014).
Nitrolancea hollandica gen. nov., sp nov., a chemolithoautotrophic nitrite-oxidizing bacterium isolated from a bioreactor belonging to the phylum Chloroflexi.
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology,
64(PART 6), 1859-1865. Article 062232.
https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.062232-0
Hofbauer, S., Gruber, C., Pirker, K. F., Schaffner, I., Furtmueller, P. G., Obinger, C., Hagmüller, A., Gysel, K.
, Mlynek, G., Kostan, J.
, Djinovic-Carugo, K., Bellei, M., Battistuzzi, G.
, & Daims, H. (2014).
Understanding Chlorite Dismutase from Candidatus Nitrospira defluvii.
Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry,
19, 253-253.
Almstrand, R., Persson, F.
, Daims, H., Ekenberg, M., Christensson, M., Wilen, B.-M., Sorensson, F., & Hermansson, M. (2014).
Three-Dimensional Stratification of Bacterial Biofilm Populations in a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor for Nitritation-Anammox.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences,
15(2), 2191-2206.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms15022191
Hofbauer, S., Gysel, K., Bellei, M., Hagmüller, A., Schaffner, I.
, Mlynek, G., Kostan, J., Pirker, K. F.
, Daims, H., Furtmueller, P. G., Battistuzzi, G.
, Djinovic-Carugo, K., & Obinger, C. (2014).
Manipulating Conserved Heme Cavity Residues of Chlorite Dismutase: Effect on Structure, Redox Chemistry, and Reactivity.
Biochemistry,
53(1), 77-89.
https://doi.org/10.1021/bi401042z
