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.
CeMESS is proud to announce that eight of its researchers across all its four divisions have been named on the 2025 Clarivate list of the world's most…
Calin Rares Lucaciu successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled "Computational Challenges in the Assembly and Analysis of Non-Model Plant Genomes…
Ticks are home to a diverse mix of microbial communities – some harmless or even beneficial, others pathogenic. A striking microscopy image by Adnan…
We are delighted to welcome Hanna Koch as a new Senior Scientist at the Division of Microbial Ecology (DOME), CeMESS.
A new study led by Barbara Bayer (CeMESS, University of Vienna) discovered that ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms contribute much less to carbon…
The 28th edition of the annual European Nitrogen Cycle Meeting (ENC28) brought together more than 70 participants from institutions in 13 countries at…
Samuel Marre
Anaïs Cario
Michael Pester
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
