Governor's Chair, Professor
UT
Research
The Löffler lab conducts fundamental research in interrelated focal areas: microbial community structure and function, novel bacteria, microbial detoxification of environmental pollutants, degradation pathways, monitoring tools, and bioremediation applications. Of particular interest are the microbial processes contributing to organic and inorganic contaminant detoxification, N- and C-turnover in soils and sediments, and greenhouse gas emission mitigation. Fundamental questions about keystone species and how they function in the context of microbial communities and the physical environment are studied. These efforts apply cutting-edge analytical tools including (meta)genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics to isolates, consortia and environmental samples. The identification of process-specific biomarkers leads to prognostic and diagnostic tools to detect and quantify microorganisms of interest, to monitor their activities, and to describe overall microbial community structure, dynamics, resilience and function within an environmental context. These research questions are addressed in collaborative teams, often in conjunction with industry or government partners for rapid transition of laboratory findings to real world applications.
Education
PhD: Microbiology / Technical Biochemistry - University of Hohenheim / Technical University Harburg, Gemany (1994)