People | University of Tübingen

Microbial Interactions in Plant Ecosystems

Prof. Dr. Eric Kemen

Tel +49 7071 29 78725

eric.kemenspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de

Eric did his PhD in cell biology and phytopathology at the University of Konstanz where he discovered the first fungal effector protein delivered into host plants. Joining the group of Jonathan Jones at the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, UK, he established sequencing and computational techniques to analyze fungal and oomycete genomes. In 2012, Eric became a research group leader at the MPI for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, focusing with his group on microbe-microbe and plant-microbe interactions. An important finding was the discovery of ‘microbial hubs’ that link microbial communities to the host genotype. Since 2017, Eric is Professor at the University of Tübingen combining computational modelling with ecology and host/microbe genetics to discover novel mechanisms in complex microbial community assembly and stability.

Since 2022, Eric has been Spokesperson of the Department of Biology.

Sekretariat/ Administrative Office

iva.fahrnerspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de

76605

Members of the research group

Yiheng Hu

PostDoc

Email: yiheng.huspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de

Yiheng has been a member of our group since March 2021. Previously, he obtained his bachelor's degree from Xiamen University, China and a master's degree from Australian National University, Australia. Yiheng then completed his PhD at the Australian National University and his doctoral thesis dealt with the detection of pathogens and the composition of microbial communities in fungal infections. In Tübingen as postdoc in the Kemen lab, Yiheng's research focuses on the dynamics and stability of the plant microbiome. Specifically, he is interested in the mechanisms of crossfeeding and secondary metabolites within the fungal community of Arabidopsis thialiana.

Ariane Kemen

Researcher

Email: ariane.kemenspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Arianes research centers on mechanisms used by microbes for inter- or cross-kingdom communication. After completing her PhD studies where she had unrevealed the function of amyloid-like effector proteins in rust fungi, Ariane investigated the host-microbe dialogue focusing on effector-receptor proteins and metabolites, both conferring broad spectrum disease resistances. Her postdoctoral stays at JIC, TSL and MPIPZ enabled here both to follow her topics of interest and to establish new methods for deeper insights into interkingdom communication. In her current projects, Ariane is studying the impact of host genes on the composition of the phyllosphere microbiota with the aim to understand the role of amyloid proteins in the modulation of host-microbe and inter-microbial dialogue.

Hamed Jalali

Researcher / Data Steward

Email: hamed.jalalispam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1190-5652

Paolo Stincone

PostDoc

Email: paolo.stinconespam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Elke Klenk

Research assistance

Email: elke.klenkspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de

Katrina Lutap

PhD student

Email: katrina.lutap@uni-tuebingen.de

Maryam Mahmoudi

PhD student

Email: maryam.mahmoudi@uni-tuebingen.de

Maryam is a PhD student researching how microbial communities respond to different climate conditions, using multi-omic data from both the lab and the environment. Her work focuses on understanding how these microbial signatures can predict plant health, especially when plants face diseases. She’s passionate about using a range of computational tools to support her research, and so far, she’s worked with microbial network analysis and machine learning to explore these questions. Outside the lab, she enjoys painting, trying out new recipes in the kitchen, and bouldering. For the latest updates, check out her website: https://maryambio.github.io

Monja Schmid

PhD student

Email: monja.schmidspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de

Leonie Zott

Doktorandin (PhD Student)

Email: leonie.zottspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de

Samuel Quinzer

PhD student

Email samuel.quinzerspam prevention@zmbp.uni-tuebingen.de

Samuel Quinzer completed his bachelor's degree in biology, followed by a master's degree in microbiology, at the University of Tübingen. In his Bachelor's thesis, he worked on cyanobacteria and their carbon metabolism. In his Master's thesis, he worked a lot with enzymes, especially with their purification and characterisation by enzymatic assays. Since February 2022, Samuel is a PhD student in the Kemen group and is investigating the influence of basidomycetes on the microbiome of Arabidopsis thaliana.