Mold on the jam? What looks like a ruined Saturday morning to many people is, for Professor Dr. Sebastian Ulrich, the starting point for interesting research questions. As head of the Department of Applied Microbiology and Hygiene at TH OWL, he studies microorganisms that cause disease, spoil food, or colonize technical equipment—but also hold the potential for new applications in medicine, industry, and food production.
Together with his team, Ulrich combines basic research with applied research. While Ph.D. candidate Meyyappan Meyyappan is currently investigating how the mold Stachybotrys chartarum produces particularly toxic metabolites, Ph.D. candidate Justin Debrassine is researching sustainable protein sources from fungi for the food industry. Both doctoral projects exemplify the breadth of the research group’s work—ranging from elucidating biological processes to developing concrete applications for business and society.
Learn more about Professor Dr. Sebastian Ulrich’s research, his motivation, and why we should all pay more attention to microorganisms in thisprofile and interview.