Dr. Muammar Mansor
Junior Group Leader
Universität Tübingen
Angewandte Geowissenschaften
Schnarrenbergstrasse 94-96
72076 Tübingen
Email: muammar.muammar-bin-mansor@uni-tuebingen.de
Research
As a nano-bio-geochemist, my main interest is in the area of microbial reactions that mediate important environmental processes on both the modern and ancient Earth, and even on other habitable worlds. I am particularly fascinated with the biogeochemistry of metals (e.g., Fe, Cu, Co, Ni) and sulfur, given these elements’ dual importance as bio-essential elements and being toxic at high concentrations. I use an interdisciplinary combination of molecular, geochemical, and modeling tools in order to elucidate the biogeochemical cycling of the elements from the nano- to the global-scale.
Current research interests include:
> Microbial formation of iron-sulfur minerals (e.g., pyrite) in microbial mats and ancient Earth
> Impact of anthropogenic nanoparticles and contaminants on microbial processes
> Development of single particle ICP-MS for the characterization of environmental colloids
Interested students (BSc, HiWi, MSc) are encouraged to contact me for opportunities.
Interested in learning about single particle ICP-MS? Check out this video
Academic History
2020-present
Junior Group Leader in Geomicrobiology
2017-2019
Postdoctoral fellow in Nanogeomicrobiology
Group of Prof. Jie Xu, University of Texas at El Paso, Texas (USA)
2016-2017
Research Assistant
Laboratory for Isotopes and Metals in the Environment (LIME), Penn State University, Pennsylvania (USA)
2013-2017
Ph.D student in Geosciences & Astrobiology
Co-advised by Prof. Matt Fantle & Prof. Macalady, Penn State University, Pennsylvania (USA)
2012-2013
Master's in Science
M.S. Biotechnology, Penn State University, Pennsylvania (USA)
2009-2012
Bachelor of Science
BSc. Biotechnology, Penn State University, Pennsylvania (USA)
2021
Kappler, A., Bryce, C., Mansor, M., Lueder, U., Byrne, J.M., Swanner, E. (2021) An evolving view on biogeochemical cycling of iron. Nature Reviews Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-020-00502-7.
Mansor, M., Drabesch, S., Bayer, T., van Le, A., Chauhan, A., Schmidtmann, J., Pfeiffer, S., Kappler, A. (2021) Application of Single particle ICP-MS to determine mass distribution and number concentrations of environmental nanoparticles and colloids in environmental samples. Environmental Science and Technology Letters. doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00314.
Huang, J., Jones, A., Waite, T.D., Chen, Y., Huang, X., Rosso, K., Kappler, A., Mansor, M., Tratynek, P.G., Zhang, H. (2021) Fe(II) Redox Chemistry in the Environment. Chemical Reviews. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01286
2020
Mansor, M. & Xu, J. (2020) “Benefits at the nanoscale: a review of nanoparticle‐enabled processes favouring microbial growth and functionality.” Environmental Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15174
Mansor, M., Cantando, E., Wang, Y., Hernandez-Viezcas, J., Gardea-Torresdey, J., Hochella Jr., M.F. & Xu, J. (2020) “Insights into the biogeochemical cycling of cobalt: Precipitation and transformation of cobalt sulfide nanoparticles under low-temperature aqueous conditions.” Environmental Science & Technology, 54(9), 5598-5607. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c01363
2019
Mansor, M., Winkler, C., Hochella Jr., M.F. & Xu, J. (2019). “Nanoparticulate nickel-hosting phases in sulfidic environments: Effects of ferrous iron and bacterial presence on mineral formation mechanism and solid-phase nickel distribution.” Frontiers in Earth Science – Earth and Planetary Materials, 7, 151.
Mansor, M. & Fantle, M.S. (2019) “A novel framework for interpreting the pyrite-based Fe isotope records of the past.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 253, 39-62.
Mansor, M., Berti, D., Hochella, M., Murayama, M. & Xu, J. (2019) “Phase, morphology, elemental composition and formation mechanisms of biogenic and abiogenic Fe-Cu-sulfide nanoparticles: A comparative study on their occurrences under anoxic conditions.” American Mineralogist, 104(5), 703-717.
2018
Mansor, M., Harouaka, K., Gonzales, M.S., Macalady, J.L. & Fantle, M.S. (2018). “Transport-induced spatial patterns of sulfur isotopes (δ34S) as biosignatures.” Astrobiology, 18(1), 59-72.
2016
Mansor, M. & Macalady, J.L. (2016). “Draft genome sequence of lampenflora Chlorobium limicola strain Frasassi in a sulfidic cave system.” Genome Announcements, 4(3), e00357-16.
Harouaka, K., Mansor, M., Macalady, J.L. & Fantle, M.S. (2016). “Calcium isotopic fractionation in microbially mediated gypsum precipitates.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 184, 114-131.
2015
Mansor, M., Hamilton, T.L., Fantle, M.S. & Macalady, J.L. (2015). “Metabolic diversity and ecological niches of Achromatium populations revealed with single-cell genomic sequencing.” Frontiers in Microbiology, 6.