Dr. Hermann J. Heipieper

Contact/Address

Phone +49 341 6025 1694

Office: Building 1.0, Room 121

H. Heipieper

Research areas

  • Degradation of xenobiotic compounds such as herbicides in the presence of naturally occuring environmental conditions (see EU-project HERBICBIOREM)
  • Adaptation of bacteria to toxic organic solvents to allow the performance of two-liquid-phase biotransformations for the econimically sound production of fine chemicals (see EU-project BARTOLO)
  • Development of lipids as biomarkers to monitor and assess bioremediation processes of contaminated soils and waters (see EU-project BIOTOOL BIOTOOL)
  • Application of isotope techniques to investigate the interactions of plants with microbes in contaminated soils (see EU-project AXIOM)
  • Investigation of bacterial adaptation to cellular stress on the level of membranes, surface properties, and energetics. Bioengineering of contaminated sites to accelerate bioremediation (see EU-project BACSIN)
  • Elucidation and application of fundamental mechanisms of bacterial stress tolerance and establishment of novel Pseudomonads as a biocatalytic platform for application in biotechnological processes with high chemical stress (BMBF Project: N NO-STRESS)
  • Rhizospheric processes in planted system such as constructed wetlands to foster bioremediation or organic pollutants.
  • Member of the consortium of the Centre for Biocatalysis MiKat

Curriculum Vitae

1981-87

Study of Biology/Microbiology at the Institute for Microbiology (Prof. Hans-Jürgen Rehm) of the University of Münster, Germany

1988-91

Ph.D in Microbiology at the Institute for Microbiology (Prof. Hans-Jürgen Rehm) of the University of Münster, Germany

1993-96

PostDoc at the Department of Industrial Microbiology (Prof. Jan de Bont) of the Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

1996-98

PostDoc at the Department of Microbiology (Prof. Elisabetta Zennaro) of the University of Rome, Italy

1998-99

Invited guest scientist at the Department of Environmental Health of the Consorzio Mario Negri Sud (CMNS), Santa Maria Imbaro, Chieti, Italy

Since 1999

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

Projects

2000-02

“Strategies to accelerate the productive biodegradation of several herbicides under environmental stress conditions” (HERBICBIOREM)

2002-04

“Solvent-tolerant bacteria allowing a broader performance of biotransformations of organic compounds in two-phases fermentation systems” (BARTOLO)

2004-07

“Biological procedures for diagnosing the status and predicting evolution of polluted environments” (BIOTOOL)

2005-09

“Assessment of in situ Transformation of Xenobiotic Organic Material” (AXIOM)

2008-2012

“Bacterial abiotic cellular stress and survival improvement” (BACSIN)

2015-2019

"From Plastic waste to Plastic value using Pseudomonas putida Synthetic Biology." P4SB

2020-23

“Elucidation and application of fundamental mechanisms of bacterial stress tolerance and establishment of novel Pseudomonads as a biocatalytic platform for application in biotechnological processes with high chemical stress” (BMBF Project: NO-STRESS)

2022-27

“Use and management of finest particulate anthropogenic material flows in a sustainable circular economy” (Helmholtz Sustainability Challenge Project: FINEST)


Research Networks


Memberships

  • Editor of FEMS Microbiology Letters (since 2009)
  • Editor of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (since 2022)

Member of the Editorial Board of

  • Applied and Environmental Microbiology (since 2003)
  • Microbial Biotechnology (since 2007)
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (since 2008)
  • Microorganisms (since 2020)

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