PhD Students

PhD Student

I investigate how ammonia oxidizers with short and long nitrification pathways compete under varying ammonium fluxes. Using a flux-controlled flowthrough setup and FISH imaging, I study physiological trade-offs that shape nitrifier coexistence.

✉ alajeels95(at)univie.ac.at 

PhD Student

✉ ana.brites(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

Biological activity in desert ecosystems is limited by water availability. I’m investigating how non-rainfall water sources, such as dew and fog, support the survival of biocrust microorganisms, enabling them to withstand the harsh conditions of drylands and sustain biogeochemical cycles.

✉ andre.araujo(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

PhD student in microbial systems ecology, investigating how carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus limitations shape bacterial physiology. My research focuses on how resource constraints influence single-cell mass, metabolic activity, and community-level scaling in marine bacteria and natural assemblages.

✉ edo.danilyan(at)univie.ac.at
» Personal Website

PhD Student

Extremely preterm infants face the risk of brain injury which is linked to a shift of the gut microbiota. My work focuses on how gut environmental conditions can shape the preterm gut microbiota with the overall aim of reducing pathogen abundance to improve health outcomes.

✉ anna-celine.danklmaier(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

Investigating crosstalk between gut bacteria and bacteriophages during infections, and how these interactions reshape microbial communities and host physiology.

✉ nir.shmuel.even(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

I am fascinated by the hidden microbial drivers of ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical processes.  My research focuses on the microbial pathways underlying oxic methane production in aquatic ecosystems and the environmental factors regulating methane cycling.

✉ manuela.pia.felsberger(at)univie.ac.at
» LinkedIn

PhD Student

✉ panagiota.folla(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ thomas.gaehtgens(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ rebecca.gallo(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

In my PhD project, I study the stress response of environmental bacteria to low oxygen, focusing on the regulation of low- and high-affinity terminal oxidases in Acidobacteriota and other ecologically relevant strains.

✉ johanna.giger(at)univie.ac.at
» LinkedIn

PhD Student

Sulfur cycling in soil is complex and underexplored. My PhD focuses on investigating sulfoquinovose degradation and sulfur–iron coupling, aiming to provide new insights into microbial processes shaping soil sulfur dynamics.

✉ guoqingg98(at)univie.ac.at 

PhD Student

✉ cathrine.zaknun(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ lukas.helmlinger(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

I study CPR bacteria–host symbiosis, focusing on global distribution patterns, host identification, and interactions, aiming to uncover mechanisms of microbial partnerships that may shape ecosystems and broaden our understanding of interspecies relationships.

✉ huifeng.hu(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ uxue.otxandorena-ieregi(at)students.boku.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ stefanie.imminger(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

I study the invasive plant Impatiens glandulifera, focusing on its allelopathic strategies and their role in shaping soil microbial communities and ecosystem dynamics.

✉ saee.joshi(at)univie.ac.at 

PhD Student

My PhD research investigates how antibiotic use shapes the gut microbiome and antibiotic resistance in premature infants, aiming to uncover strategies to prevent adverse effects of antibiotic overuse and improve early-life health outcomes.

✉ mia.juracic(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

Giant viruses are the new kids on the block in the virology field, causing all sorts of trouble for their protist hosts. I study the ecological diversity and genomic features of giant viruses, putting my virology expertise to good use.

✉ vitalii.kovtunyk(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ zeynep.kurt(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

Globally rising temperatures cause seasonal anoxia in coastal marine systems and temperate lakes. My research focusses on the effect of low oxygen conditions on microbial metabolism and potential microbial adaptations to seasonal anoxia.

✉ kira.lange(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ lukas.leibrecht(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

Originally from the sunny Colombian Caribbean. In 2021, I moved to Vienna to pursue new highs in my scientific career. My research interests focus on the genomic co-evolution and the interaction mechanisms of symbiotic systems.

✉ alejandro.llanos.lizcano(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ rahul.mallikarjun(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

I am a microbial ecologist studying marine symbiotic interactions, particularly between the dinoflagellate algae Amphidinium and the marine flatworm Waminoa. My research integrates single-cell transcriptomics and metabolomics to explore photosymbiosis at the cellular and molecular level.

✉ sandra.montano(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

I'm interested in discovering the receptors that mediate the interaction between phages and their hosts in natural populations of Vibrios, using cutting-edge techniques in molecular genetics and bioinformatics.

✉ paul.damian.jimenez.nuno(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ johanna.palmetzhofer(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ florian.panhoelzl(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ christopher.pree(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ dania.randi(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

I am a PhD student studying how candidate prebiotics shape the human gut microbiota, with a focus on beneficial bacteria, cross-feeding interactions, and their potential to enhance human health.

✉ hamid.rasoulimehrabani(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ paula.rojas(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

I study marine host-microbe symbioses. My PhD explores the intimate associations between sponges and their microbial partners, uncovering ecological roles and global patterns of these essential symbiotic relationships.

✉ marie.rutsch(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ laura.sanchez(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ franziska.schnaufer(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ daniela.schwarz(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ schwarzhaa45(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ lior.shachar(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

Currently, a human gut microbiome explorer with 10 years of laboratory and field experience in microbiology, marine biology, biotechnology and neuroscience. Enthusiastic about applying microbes for battling global challenges.

✉ nataliia.solntseva(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

In my research project, I explore the structure of biological nitrification inhibitors, aiming to bridge the gap between structural chemistry and microbiology.

✉ katarina.stastna(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ senweit66(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

I explore how beneficial bacteria such as Variovorax integrate into root communities. My work focuses on uncovering the ecological and genetic principles governing these interactions, aiming to inform strategies for sustainable agriculture and crop health.

✉ joana.valerio(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

My research interests mainly focus on incorporating microbial processes into Earth System Models to quantify their role in global biogeochemical cycles, and on exploring remote sensing tools to study microbial influences on ecosystems at large spatial scales.

✉ jyothsna.pujar.venkataramaiah(at)univie.ac.at 

PhD Student

✉ berna.de.vries(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

Fighting climate change with rocks? Absolutely. I study microbes that accelerate enhanced silicate weathering, identifying key taxa and functions to build scalable, practical strategies that support farmers, strengthen soils, and lock away carbon for the long term.

✉ kristina.vukovic(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ jan-philipp.wittlinger(at)univie.ac.at

PhD Student

✉ zioutisc91(at)univie.ac.at