Congratulations to Bettina Glasl on receiving an FWF-ASTRA Award!
We’re thrilled to announce that Bettina Glasl has been awarded a prestigious FWF-ASTRA grant to explore at CeMESS how ancient animal–microbe partnerships shape health and evolution in marine sponges.
In her project, Bettina will explore fundamental mechanisms of animal–microbe interactions by taking a microscale look at the microbial world inside the tropical reef sponge Ianthella basta. Marine sponges are among the oldest animals on Earth and offer a unique window into the early evolution of animal–microbe symbiosis. Today, sponges are vital components of coral reef ecosystems, which are experiencing unprecedented declines due to climate change. By combining advanced fluorescence and chemical imaging techniques, Bettina will investigate how microbial life is governed inside the simple multicellular sponge body and to what extent microbial partners can regulate the health of their sponge host. Thus, by studying one of the oldest and simplest animal–microbe partnerships on Earth, Bettina will uncover fundamental principles of symbiosis that have shaped animal evolution for more than 650 million years and may underpin animal health in changing ocean environments. The project will expand and connect existing symbiosis research at CeMESS by focusing on sponge–microbe interactions, which represent one of the earliest evolutionary transitions toward multicellular animal life and provide a unique opportunity to study the origins of animal–microbe symbioses.
FWF/derKnopfdruecker
About Bettina Glasl
Bettina completed her PhD at the Australian Institute of Marine Science and James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. For her postdoctoral research, which was funded by the FWF Hertha Firnberg Fellowship, she moved to CeMESS to join the group of Prof. Michael Wagner. In 2024, she joined CeMESS as a Senior Scientist. Her research focuses on coral reefs and basal animals, such as sponges and corals, and their symbiotic relationships with microbial organisms. Her work involves investigating the role of microbes in coral reef health, from large-scale ecosystem dynamics of microbial populations to the functions of individual microbial symbionts within their animal hosts at the cellular level. Bettina is looking forward to continuing her work at CeMESS and integrating advanced imaging and spatial approaches into sponge–symbiosis research.
About FWF-ASTRA
The FWF-ASTRA programme supports outstanding early-career researchers in Austria with innovative projects that promise high scientific impact.