PhD program in Microbial Symbioses: Call 2020 now open!
DOME
The PhD program Microbial Symbioses offers new positions for dedicated and enthusiastic students interested in microbe-host interactions!
Division of Microbial Ecology (DOME)
Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science
About DOME
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.
CeMESS/Maximilian Prag
Research Projects
Get to know our research by exploring our active projects and the researcher profiles of our principle investigators.
Education
We are committed to nurturing the next generation of scientists, including undergraduate and doctoral programs, as well as intensive methods-based courses.
Facilities | Ressources
Our Facilities and Ressources include Joint Microbiome Facility, NanoSIMS, probeBase, and daime.
News
New Academy of Sciences blog post by Jillian Petersen
DOME
Jillian Petersen wrote a blog post for the Young Academy of the ÖAW (Austrian Academy of Sciences) in collaboration with the Austrian newspaper, Der…
JMF at the 3rd AMICI Symposium
JMF
JMF members will be presenting at the 3rd Symposium of the Austrian Microbiome Initiative, which will take place on the 10th of October 2019 in…
Dr. Katharina Kitzinger
DOME
Kathi successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Metabolic versatility of nitrifiers playing a key role in global nitrogen cycling". Kathi…
New publication in PNAS
DOME
Since their surprise discovery 7 years ago, the centimeter-long, electricity-conducting cable bacteria have been equally fascinating and enigmatic to…
City of Vienna Promotion Award for Jillian Petersen
DOME
The City of Vienna Awards are awarded anually to individuals who have made major achievements in areas ranging from architecture, literature and art…
Events
Viral Intrahost Evolution – a Race in Space and Time
DOME Lecture Series
Andreas Bergthaler
Deciphering population-specific activities of marine microbes with quantitative stable isotope probing
DOME Lecture Series
William Orsi
Three amazing ideas about microbial biogeography that will blow your mind
DOME Lecture Series
Daniel H. Buckley
Latest Publications at DOME
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
Bauchinger F, Berry D. Metatranscriptomic-driven insights into mucosal glycan degradation by the human gut microbiota. FEMS microbiology ecology. 2025 Dec 4. doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiaf118
The Microflora Danica Consortium, Singleton CM, Jensen TBN, Delogu F, Knudsen KS, Sørensen EA et al. The Microflora Danica atlas of Danish environmental microbiomes. Nature. 2025 Dec 3. doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09794-2
Krasenbrink J, Hanson BT, Weiss AS, Borusak S, Tanabe TS, Lang M et al. Sulfoquinovose is exclusively metabolized by the gut microbiota and degraded differently in mice and humans. Microbiome. 2025 Dec;13(1):184. doi: 10.1186/s40168-025-02175-x
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;16(1):10946. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-67048-1
Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science
University of Vienna
CeMESS/Maximilian Prag