Welcome to the  Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology

Welcome to the  
Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology

Life without microorganisms is simply impossible. Microbes were the first life forms on early Earth. They evolved the ability to capture carbon dioxide and nitrogen, providing life with energy and nutrients. Microbes also invented photosynthesis, brought oxygen to the atmosphere and gave birth to multicellularity and the evolution of higher life. Microbes are more numerous and diverse than all other living organisms and there is no ecological niche that is not covered by them. They live in constant interactions with their environment, affecting health, agricultural productivity, and the climate on a global scale.

Our mission is to understand the function, communication, and interaction of microorganisms with their environment, to describe them with mathematical models, and to modify them with synthetic biological approaches.
We specifically focus on the microbial metabolism of greenhouse gases, the synthesis and function of bioactive natural compounds, cellular communication and regulation networks, as well as their spatial and temporal organization. Our research scale ranges from the atomic level up to global ecosystems.

Together with our two affiliated centers, SYNMIKRO and the Microcosm Earth Center, MPI-TM is one of Europe’s leading Institutes in the fields of Molecular and Synthetic Microbiology, currently hosting more than 300 scientists and students from more than 35 countries.
March 2024
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Graduate Students Mini Symposium III-2024

at 01:15 PM (Local Time Germany)

Miriam Bayer

at 02:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Uncovering transcriptional heterogeneity during Vibrio cholerae biofilm development

Dr. Carsten Rohr

from Mar 7, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 8, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Scientific writing: Turning the blank page into a manuscript

Dr. Carsten Rohr

from Mar 7, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 8, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Scientific writing: Turning the blank page into a manuscript

Dr. Nicholas Bachtadse

from 12:00 PM to 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Future Network Talks #18

Dr. Katharina Höfer

from Mar 11, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 15, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

RNA Biochemistry

cancelled

Dr. Daniel Unterweger

at 01:15 PM (Local Time Germany)

The type VI secretion systems of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Dr. Katharina Höfer

from Mar 11, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 15, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

RNA Biochemistry

cancelled

Dr. Katharina Höfer

from Mar 11, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 15, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

RNA Biochemistry

cancelled

Memduha Muratoglu

at 12:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Mapping of the differential exchange & dynamics of type IVa pilus machine components: Implications for function

Dr. Katharina Höfer

from Mar 11, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 15, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

RNA Biochemistry

cancelled

Dr. Judith Klatt

from 05:30 PM to 06:15 PM (Local Time Germany)

Bacteria at the Limit - A Journey to the Earth's Smallest Survivalists

Dr. Katharina Höfer

from Mar 11, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 15, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

RNA Biochemistry

cancelled

Daniel Stukenberg

at 03:00 AM (Local Time Germany)

Establishing the fast-growing bacterium Vibrio natriegens as a next-generation chassis for synthetic biology

Dr. Ilka Bischofs-Pfeifer

from Mar 25, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 29, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Cell-physiology experiments in fluctuating micro-environments

Dr. Ilka Bischofs-Pfeifer

from Mar 25, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 29, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Cell-physiology experiments in fluctuating micro-environments

Dr. Ilka Bischofs-Pfeifer

from Mar 25, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 29, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Cell-physiology experiments in fluctuating micro-environments

Dr. Ilka Bischofs-Pfeifer

from Mar 25, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 29, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Cell-physiology experiments in fluctuating micro-environments

Dr. Ilka Bischofs-Pfeifer

from Mar 25, 2024 09:00 AM to Mar 29, 2024 05:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Cell-physiology experiments in fluctuating micro-environments

original
QR code shows zoom link to hybrid Microbiology Seminar Series.

upcoming Seminars & Events

Daniel Stukenberg

Establishing the fast-growing bacterium Vibrio natriegens as a next-generation chassis for synthetic biology
Mar 22, 2024 03:00 AM (Local Time Germany)
ZSM (Synmikro), Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 14, Room: Lecture hall

Dr. Ilka Bischofs-Pfeifer

Cell-physiology experiments in fluctuating micro-environments
Mar 25, 2024 09:00 AM (Local Time Germany) - Mar 29, 2024 05:00 PM
BioQuant of the University of Heidelberg, Room: BQ 0041

Graduate Students Mini Symposium IV-2024

Apr 8, 2024 01:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
MPI für terrestrische Mikrobiologie, Room: Lecture Hall / Hybrid

TBA

Future Network Talks #19
Apr 12, 2024 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Online, Room: -

Dr. Georg Hochberg

A beginner's guide to maximum-likelihood phylogenetics
Apr 15, 2024 09:00 AM (Local Time Germany) - Apr 19, 2024 05:00 PM
ZSM (Synmikro), Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 14, Room: Small seminar room
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