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.
Stephanie A. Eichorst, a Senior Scientist at DOME, received funding for her project “Beyond O2 – factors influencing the use of microbial terminal…
Unicellular algae are the main primary producers in the ocean, collectively being responsible for about half of the globally fixed carbon dioxide.…
DOME senior scientists Katharina Kitzinger and Daan Speth recently co-authored a landmark paper in Nature led by a team from the Max Planck Institute…
DOME is excited to announce the appointment of Barbara Bayer as a new Assistant Professor (Tenure Track). Her research focusses on the interactions…
DOME welcomes a new addition to its faculty as Shaul Pollak joins as Assistant Professor (Tenure Track). His research explores how environmental…
The single-celled organism Naegleria fowleri ranks among the deadliest human parasites. Researchers around Matthias Horn and Patrick Arthofer from…
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
