PhD project III: Fate and effects of antibiotics in surface waters

PhD III will focus on the contamination of water ecosystems with antibiotics. Antibiotics in surface waters are an immediate concern primarily due to the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Little is known, however, about how antibiotics are affecting microbial functions and the ecology of natural microbial communities. An equally important aspect of the environmental dimension is the fate of antibiotics and their main transformation mechanisms. In this context, this PhD project will use stable isotope fractionation and labeling combined with molecular biology and single-cell approaches to address these knowledge gaps, in field studies and lab-scale experiments.

Concept to tackle fate and effects of antibiotics in surface waters.

Key Questions

  • To what extent do antibiotics impact microbial activity and diversity in natural pristine and wastewater-impacted surface waters?
  • Does antibiotic-impacted microbial activity and diversity correlate with the occurrence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes in natural communities?
  • What are the primary mechanisms of antibiotic transformation in surface waters and how is this related among scales?

PhD student:


Supervisors:

Dr. Niculina Musat (ISOBIO)

Dr. Hans Hermann Richnow (ISOBIO)

Dr. Jochen Müller (UBT)