Dr. Anja Miltner

Contact:

anja.miltner@ufz.de


Phone +49 341 6025 2332

Office: building 1.0, room 116

Dr. Anja Miltner
Photo: Sebastian Wiedling/UFZ

Areas of Expertise & Research

My research focuses on the transformation of organic compounds (both natural and anthropogenic) in complex environmental systems, particular in soils. I am using incubation experiments with isotopically (both radioactive and stable) labelled compounds to trace the fate of selected compounds and to reveal microbial processes in soil. I am particularly interested in

  • contribution of microbial biomass to the formation of soil organic matter
  • contribution of microbial biomass to the formation of non-extractable residues of contaminants in soil
  • reasons and consequences of limited bioavailability of xenobiotics in soil for risk assessment
  • effects of changing redox potential and water contents on the transformation of organic compounds
  • interactions between soil microorganisms and soil physical properties

Curriculum Vitae

Since 2004

Senior Scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.

2003-2004

parental leave

2000-2003

PostDoc at the Department of Bioremediation of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig Germany

1997-2000

PostDoc at the Department of Marine Geology (Prof. Dr. Kay-Christian Emeis) at the Baltic Sea Research Institute Warnemünde, Germany

1992-1997

Ph.D in Geoecology/Soil Science at the Institute of Soil Science and Soil Geography (Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Zech) of the University of Bayreuth, Germany

1985-1991

Study of Geoecology at the Institute of Soil Science and Soil Geography (Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Zech) of the University of Bayreuth, Germany


Projects

2022-2024

"Thermodynamics of microbial turnover of organic compounds in soil - matter and energy flux under varying environmental conditions (water, nutrient availability, temperature)" (TherMic), funded by DFG in the framework of SPP 2322 "Soil Systems"

2019-2022

Electricity driven Low Energy and Chemical input Technology foR Accelerated bioremediation (ELECTRA), funded by the EU

2018-2022

Elucidation of degradation processes in soil, funded by Bayer Crop Science

2017-2020

Assessing the Fate of Pesticides and Waterborne Contaminants in Agricultural Crops and their Environmental Risks (AWARE), funded by the EU

2016-2020

Impact of bacterial biomass on the surface wettability of soil particles under varying moisture
conditions, funded by DFG

2014-2017

Characterization of bound residues in soil, based on the example of the herbizide pendimethalin, funded by BASF

2008-2012

"Model Driven Soil Probing, Site Assessment and Evaluation" (MODELProbe), funded by the EU (FP7)

2007-2014

"Dynamic (redox) interfaces in soil - Carbon turnover in microbial food webs and impact on soil organic matter (DynaCARB) in the framework of the DFG priority program 1315 "Biogeochemical Interfaces in Soils"

2007-2011

"Risk Assessment and Environmental Safety Affected by Compound Bioavailability in Multiphase Environments" (RAISEBIO), a Marie Curie EST action funded by the EU (FP6)

2000-2009

"Mass balance of microbial biomass contribution to the formation of refractory soil organic matter using isotope tracer techniques – (cells, cell components,CO2, and NH4) (BIOREFRAK) in the framework of the DFG priority program 1090 "Soils as source and sink for CO2 - mechanisms and regulation of organic matter stabilization in soils"


Memberships

  • Verband für Geoökologie in Deutschland
  • Deutsche Bodenkundliche Gesellschaft

Publications


Recent publications

2024 (7)

2023 (5)

2022 (3)

2021 (4)

2020 (6)

2019 (1)

2018 (5)

2017 (8)

2016 (11)

2015 (9)

2014 (7)