Dr. Marcel Ricker
"On the Dynamics of Floating Marine Litter in the North Sea "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Emil V. Stanev
Workgroup: Coastal Research Prof. Dr. Emil Stanev

Dr. Simone Heyen
"Development and Application of a Method for the Identification and Quantification of Organic Acids in Microbial Exometabolomes "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Heinz Wilkes
Working group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Heinz Wilkes

Dr. Ronja Paffrath
"Terrestrial Input of Rare Earth Elements and Neodymium Isotopes to the Ocean and their Transport and Cycling - Case Studies from the Arctic Ocean and the Southern North Sea "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Katharina Pahnke-May
Workgroup: Marine Isotope Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Katharina Pahnke-May

Dr. Leon Dlugosch
"Functional biogeography of pelagic and sediment-associated marine microbial communities "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon
Working group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Daniel Thewes
"Numerical Simulations of Coastal Ocean Darkening "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Emil V. Stanev
Workgroup: Coastal Research Prof. Dr. Emil Stanev

Dr Miriam Gerhard
"Phytoplankton community responses to nutrient availability: interactions with temperature and diversity "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working group: Planktology Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Corinna Elena Mori
"The fate of selected trace metals (Mn, Fe, Mo, TI) in coastal ocean compartments "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Workgroup: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Katharina Pahnke-May
Workgroup: Marine Isotope Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Katharina Pahnke-May

Dr. Lars-Erik Petersen
"The role of bacterial signalling molecules in coral settlement "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp
Workgroup: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp

Dr. Rosanna Schöneich-Argent
"Anthropogenic Macrolitter Pollution in the Southern North Sea - Sources, Dispersal, and Deposition along Riverine Pathways and Coastal Shorelines "
Supervisor: PD Dr Holger Freund
Working group: Geoecology PD Dr Holger Freund

Dr. Marten Fischer
"Microplastics Analysis with Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Environmental Samples "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Heinz Wilkes
Working group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Heinz Wilkes

Dr. Anja Juliane Grohmann
"Characterisation of microbial metagenome and metatranscriptome repertoires in anaerobic biogas production systems "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. René Neuholz
"Radium isotopes as oceanographic tracers: from remote deep-sea hydrothermal systems to coastal oceans "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr Julian Merder
"Marine dissolved organic matter and its interaction with biotic and abiotic factors: novel insights from advanced statistical analysis and data processing "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Ulrike Feudel
Working group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Jannes Vagts
"Regulation and responsiveness of anaerobic aromatic compound degradation in Aromatoleum aromaticum EbN1 "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr Julia Kirchner
"Reducing CO2 emissions via accelerated weathering of limestone: Suitable locations, process optimisation and environmental safety "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Kai Uwe von Prillwitz
"Spatial Patterns in Meta-Food-Webs: A Colonisation-Extinction Model Approach "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bernd Blasius
Working Group: Mathematical Modelling Prof. Dr. BerndBlasius

Dr. Lena Spruch
Thesis: "Biogeography, community assembly and biodiversity in dynamic landscapes "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bernd Blasius
Working group: Mathematical modelling Prof. Dr. Bernd Blasius

Dr. Bianca Torres Liguori Pires
Thesis: "The Biogeochemical Silicon Cycle in the Arctic Ocean: Insights from Stable Silicon Isotopes "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Katharina Pahnke-May
Working Group: Marine Isotope Geochemistry Dr. Katharina Pahnke MPI Research Group

Dr. Mario Luis Miranda MontenegroThesis
Thesis: "Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter (FDOM) from land to the sea: A spectrofluormetric approach to investigate sources, sinks and is role as universal pollutant carrier "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski
Workgroup: Marine Sensor Systems Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski

Dr. Tiera-Brandy Robinson
Thesis: "Effects of rising temperatures on the dinoflagellate symbioses of juvenile brooding corals and corallimorpharians "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Oliver Wurl
Working group: Processes and Sensors of Marine Interfaces Prof. Dr. Oliver Wurl

Dr Samuel Nietzer
Thesis: "Effects of rising temperatures on the dinoflagellate symbioses of juvenile brooding corals and corallimorpharians "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Peter Schupp
Working group: Environmental biochemistry Prof. Dr Peter Schupp

Dr. Ioannis Tsakalakis
Thesis: "Importance of spatial and temporal variations of resources for modelling phytoplankton diversity "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bernd Blasius
Working group: Mathematical Modelling

Dr. Fatehi Dubaish
Thesis: "Microplastics in the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony and in the Lower Weser Sources, Sinks and the Impact on Benthic Organisms "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp
Working Group: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp

Dr Anneke Purz
Thesis: "Propagation of extreme events:The effect of nutrients on the bloom dynamics and spatial propagation of harmful dinoflagellates "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working group: Planktology

Dr. Flavia Höring
Thesis: "Seasonal, Physiological and Genetic Functions in Antarctic Krill, Euphausia superba, at Different Latitudes in the Southern Ocean".
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Bettina Meyer
Working group: Biodiversity & Biological Processes of the Polar Oceans

Dr. Laura WolterThesis
Thesis: "Adaptations, chemical communication and chemotaxis in Rhodobacteracea associated with surface in coastal habitats "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon
Working group: Biological geological processes

Dr. Veloisa J. Mascarenhas
Thesis: "Fjord Light Regime: bio-optical implications of physicals and biogeochemical forcings in fjordal ecosystems along coasts of Norway and Greenland "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Oliver Zielinski
Working group: Marine Sensor Systems Prof. Dr. Oliver Zielinski

Dr. Anja Reckhardt
Thesis: Biogeochemical dynamics and trace metal cycling in sandy beach sediments "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Maren Möller
Thesis: "Early life stages of corals and their relevance for the future of coral reefs "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp
Working group: Environmental biochemistry Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp

Dr. Marion Pohlner
Thesis: "Contribution of the Roseobacter group to the abundance, distribution and activity of microbial communities in marine sediments "
Supervisor: Dr. habil. Bert Engelen
Working group: Palaeomicrobiology Dr. habil. Bert Engelen

Dr. Maria del Carmen Igarza Tagle
Thesis: "Dissolved organic matter in the coastal upwelling system of central Peru "
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Thorsten Dittmar
Working group: Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridge Group) Prof. Dr. Thorsten Dittmar

Dr. Daniel Wünsch
Thesis: Growth physiology of the marine bacterium Phaeobacter inhibens DSM 17396
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Andrea Gall
Thesis: Interactive effects of biodiversity and dissolved organic matter on plankton communities
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Nils Bergen
Thesis: Phylogenetic and functional bacterial diversity on the edible crab Cancer pagurus
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes; Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Arindam Saha
Thesis: Extreme events in delay-coupled relaxation oscillators
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Andrea Mentges
Thesis: Predicting dissolved organic carbon concentrations and molecular diversity in the ocean using mathematical model simulations
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar
Working group: Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridge Group) Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar

Dr. Insa Bakenhus
Thesis: Single-cell and genome based analyses of pelagic bacterioplankton groups with a focus on the Roseobacter group
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes; Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Fabio Piccolin
Thesis: The role of photoperiod in the synchronisation of endogenous clocks and rhythms in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Bettina Meyer
Working Group: Biodiversity and biological processes in polar oceans Prof. Dr. Bettina Meyer

Dr. Anne-Christin Schulz
Thesis: Characterization and qualification of hydrodynamic exchange processes in a tidal channel (East Frisian Wadden Sea)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski
Working Group: Marine Sensor Systems Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski

Dr. Beatriz Elizabeth Noriega Ortega
Thesis: Chemodiversity of marine dissolved organic matter and marine bacterial exometabolomes
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar
Working group: Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridge Group) Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar

Dr. Anna Friedrichs
Thesis: Investigation of coastal waters related substances by means of smartphones
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski
Working Group: Marine Sensor Systems Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski

Dr. Rahel Vortmeyer-Kley
Thesis: The distribution and dynamics of eddies in the Baltic Sea and their impact on physical and biological processes
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Nur Ili Hamizah Mustaffa
Thesis: Biogeochemical properties of the sea surface microlayer and its effect on the air-sea CO2 exchange
Supervisor: Dr Oliver Wurl
Working Group: Marine Surfaces Dr Oliver Wurl

Dr. Gerrit Wienhausen
Thesis: Linking the exometabolome of selected organisms of the Roseobacter group to marine dissolved organic matter - a microbiological perspective
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes; Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Christian Kirchhoff
Thesis: Physiological response to energy limitation in Dinoroseobacter shibae
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Lars Holinde
Thesis: Bio-optical investigation of Arctic coastal systems: From measurement to modelling
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski
Working Group: Marine Sensor Systems Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski

Dr. Janina Rahlff
Thesis: The Role of Microbial Communities at the Sea Surface in Air-Sea Gas Exchange
Supervisor: Dr Oliver Wurl
Working Group: Marine Surfaces Dr Oliver Wurl

Dr. Hanna Sibyll Ruppersberg
Thesis: Adaptation of Phaeobacter inhibens DSM 17396 to different N:P ratios
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Maren Seibt
Thesis: The molecular geography of dissolved organic matter in the Atlantic and Southern Ocean
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar
Working group: Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridge Group) Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar

Dr. Benjamin Wahl
Thesis: Granger causality of diffusion processes - effects of non-linearity and non-trivial noise
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Marvin Dörries
Thesis: Proteogenomics of environmentally relevant, marine, sulphate-reducing bacteria
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Laura Verbeek
Thesis: Effects of Phytoplankton Diversity on the Stability of Freshwater Ecosystems
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Benjamin Jacob
Thesis: On the Sensitivity of the Tidal Circulation in the North Seat to Morphodynamics and Atmospheric Forcing
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Bernd Blasius
Working Group: Mathematical Modelling Prof. Dr. Bernd Blasius

Dr. Nico Grüner
Thesis: Fitness-based classification of phytoplankton species from the southern North Sea
Supervisor: PD Dr Jan Freund
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Sven Breider
Thesis: Genomic and taxonomic analyses of bacteria affiliated with the Leisingera - Phaeobacter cluster
Supervisor: Apl.-Prof. Dr. Thorsten Brinkhoff
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes; Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Melanie Behrens
Thesis: Controls on rare earth element and neodymium isotope distributions in the West Pacific: local imprint vs. lateral transport
Supervisor: Dr Katharina Pahnke
Working Group: Marine Isotope Geochemistry Dr Katharina Pahnke MPI Research Group

Dr. Anika Maria Pohlabeln
Thesis: Marine dissolved organic sulphur - Sources, fate, and structural characteristics
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar
Working group: Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridge Group) Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar

Dr. Siri Rackebrandt
Thesis: Modelling the Population Dynamics of Antarctic krill: The Timing of Reproduction and the Impact of Climate Change
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Bernd Blasius
Working Group: Mathematical Modelling Prof. Dr. Bernd Blasius

Dr. Annemieke Strijkstra
Thesis: Anaerobic degradation of para-alkylated aromatic compounds - a proteogenomic perspective
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Henning Fröllje
Thesis: Rare Earth Element and Neodymium Isotope Tracing of Element Input and Past Ocean Circulation: Study From North and South Pacific Seawater and Sediments
Supervisor: Dr Katharina Pahnke
Working Group: Marine Isotope Geochemistry Dr Katharina Pahnke MPI Research Group

Dr. Nicole Schwartz
Thesis: Why are aliens so successful? Why are aliens so successful? Explaining the invasion success of Sargassum muticum
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp
Working Group: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp

Dr. Michaela Busch
Thesis: Extreme events in the marine environment. The role of species-specific traits and adaptive strategies for harmful dinoflagellate bloom formation
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Franziska Preuss
Thesis: The impact of viruses on the marine deep biosphere
Supervisor: Priv.-Doz. Dr. Bert Engelen
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Mirjam Kant (Trinkler)
Thesis: Limiting the threshold concentration of 4-hydroxyacetophenone in "Aromatoleum aromaticum" strain EbN1
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Sara Billerbeck
Thesis: The pelagic clusters of the Roseobacter group: Global distribution, genome analysis and physiological characterization
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Saranya Kanukollu
Thesis: The metabolic potential and the distribution of the Roseobacter group in marine sediments
Supervisor: Priv.-Doz. Dr. Bert Engelen
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Preeseela Satpathy
Thesis: Influence of lactate in anaerobic digestion and in the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Anton Daitche
Thesis: Memory Effects in the Motion of Inertial Particles
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Johannes Pein
Thesis: The hydrodynamics of the Ems Estuary
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Emil V. Stanev
Working Group: Coastal Research Prof. Dr. Emil Stanev

Dr. Sebastian Koßmehl
Thesis: Physiological and subcellular proteomics of Phaeobacter inhibens DSM 17395
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Maren Zark (mute)     
Thesis: The impact of ocean acidification on marine dissolved organic matter
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar
Working group: Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridge Group) Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar

Dr. Marco Dogs
Thesis: Ecological relevance of secondary metabolite production by marine surface-associated Rhodobacteraceae
Supervisor: Apl.-Prof. Dr. Thorsten H. Brinkhoff
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Paul Georg Beyersmann         
Thesis: Ecological Significance and Regulation of Secondary Metabolite Production in Phaeobacter Species
Supervisor: Apl.-Prof. Dr. Thorsten H. Brinkhoff
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Heidi Wischmann
Thesis: Effects of the marine natural products tropodithietic acid and dimenthylsulphoniopropionate on neuronal and oligodendroglial cells as well as Caenorhabditis elegans
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Ann-Katrin Meinhardt
Thesis: Inorganic-geochemical investigation of Quaternary sediments of the Arctic Ocean
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. René Jarling
Thesis: Transformations of hydrocarbons in anaerobic bacteria
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heinz Wilkes
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr Heinz Wilkes

Dr. Daniel Ritterskamp
Thesis: Evolutionary Dynamics in Food Webs Influence of Resources and Space
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Bernd Blasius
Working Group: Mathematical Modelling Prof. Dr. Bernd Blasius

Dr. Imke Büsing      
Thesis: Physiological and molecular characterization of genetic mutants of the anaerobic aromatic compound degrader "Aromatoleum aromaticum" EbN1
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Georg Steinert   
Thesis: Microbial Diversity of Temperate and Tropical Sponges
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp
Working Group: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp

Dr. Maya Soora
Thesis: Role of light in the survival of Dinoroseobacter shibae during starvation
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Robert Fischer
Thesis: Relative Importance of Mixotrophy in the Marine Pelagial
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Tanja Badewien
Thesis: Origin and characterisation of plant signals in surface and subrecent sediments of the southwest African continental slope
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Maike Abbas
Thesis: Analysis of the effects of plant diversity on the ecological stoichiometry of grassland ecosystems including multiple element cycling and trophic interactions
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Katja Fichtel
Thesis: Influence of crustal fluids on growth and activity of marine deep biosphere microbial populations
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Angelika Klugkist
Thesis: Investigation of selected organic pollutants and status indicators in surface sediments of the Jade Bay
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Nils Gülzow
Thesis: From Metacommunity to Metaecosystem: The impact of dispersal and spatiotemporal disturbance on diversity, ecosystem functions and stability
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Katharina Drüppel (Wiegmann)
Thesis: Proteomic analyses of amino acid and carbohydrate degradation pathways in Phaeobacter inhibens DSM 17395
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Shungudzemwoyo Pascal Garaba
Thesis: Shipborne hyperspectral remonte sensing of northwestern European shelf seas and Arctic waters
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski
Working Group: Marine Sensor Systems Prof. Dr Oliver Zielinski

Dr. Helena Osterholz
Thesis: From freshly produced compounds to refractory molecules - tracing sources and fate of dissolved organic matter in the ocean
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar
Working group: Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridge Group) Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar

Dr. Sandra Meier
Thesis: Spatiotemporal turnover of a phytoplankton metacommunity in a natural coastal system
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Sven Alexander Lahme
Thesis: Physiological and molecular investigation of the anaerobic 4-methylbenzoate and benzoate degradation in Magnetospirillum sp.strain pMbN1
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Sebastian Eckert
Thesis: The past and present trace metal budget of the Black Sea - A comparison of the Holocene and Eemian marine ingression
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Qun Göthel
Thesis: Isolation and characterization of novel natural products from marine organisms: exemples from three sponges, an alga, and a scleractinian coral
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp
Working Group: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr. Peter Schupp

Dr. Jörn Logemann
Thesis: Intact polar lipids Possibility and limits of their use for the analysis of microbial communities
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Christoph Plum
Thesis: Diversity meets stoichiometry. The role of biodiversity for stoichiometric interactions in planktonic food webs
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Hajo Zech
Thesis: Systems biology studies of the catabolism of Phaeobacter inhibens DSM 17395
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Tim Engelhardt
Thesis: Viruses in the marine deep biosphere
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Sebastian Grashorn
Thesis: Wave-current interactions in coastal areas
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jörg Wolff
Working Group: Physical Oceanography Prof. Dr. Jörg Wolff

Dr. Stefan Rösel
Thesis: Seasonal dynamics and changes in bacterial community composition in different limnic ecosystems
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Agung Suryaputra
Thesis: Fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in the coastal ocean: characterization, biogeochemical processes, and the possibility of in situ monitoring
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar
Working group: Research Group for Marine Geochemistry (ICBM-MPI Bridge Group) Prof. Dr Thorsten Dittmar

Dr. Kamal Hariri     
Thesis: Phylogenetic study of historical herbaria as a methodology for a revision of the taxonomy of cyanobacteria
Supervisor: PD Dr Katarzyna Palinska

Dr. Cédric Meunier
Thesis: You eat what you need: food quality and trophic interactions in planktonic food webs
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Christian Finke
Thesis: Deterministic and Stochastic Dynamics of a Mammalian Cold Receptor Model with Subthreshold Oscillations
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Sebastian Thole
Thesis: Comparative and functional genome analysis of two closely related Phaeobacter gallaeciensis strains and other host-associated Roseobacter clade members
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Sarah Hahnke
Thesis: Physiological characterization and molecular ecological investigation of diverse organisms of the Roseobacter clade isolated from the North Sea
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Bettina Scholz
Thesis: Physiological adaptations of microphytobenthic Wadden sea diatoms to fluctuating environmental conditions and its influenc on community compositions
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Gerd Liebezeit

Dr. Joanna Filip
Thesis: Relevance of functional diversity in microbial food webs: Effects of grazer diversity on prey diversity and composition
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Helmut Hillebrand
Working Group: Planktology Prof. Dr. Helmut Hillebrand

Dr. Sarah Kohls
Thesis: Thevetia cardiac glycosides - Structure elucidation and methods for toxicological application
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Kathleen Trautwein
Thesis: Physiological and proteomic response of "Aromatoleum aromaticum" EbN1 to substrate mixtures and carbon limitation
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Working Group: General & Molecular Microbiology Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus

Dr. Daniela Kalhöfer
Thesis: Genome analysis and comparative genomics of host-associated bacteria of the marine Roseobacter clade
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Jutta Graue
Thesis: Bioreactor Janssand - Fermentation processes in tidal-flat sediments often the German North Sea
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Anne-Ly Do
Thesis: Self-organization in continuous adaptive networks
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Bernd Blasius
Working Group: Mathematical Modelling Prof. Dr. Bernd Blasius

Dr. Tim Jäger
Thesis: The influence of highly diluted substances on the growth of arsenic-damaged plant (Lemna gibba L.) and microbial (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) organisms
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Sebastian Grayek
Thesis: Data Assimilation in European Regional and Coastal Seas (Black Sea and German Bight)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Emil V. Stanev
Working Group: Coastal Research Prof. Dr. Emil Stanev

Dr. Claudia Dziallas
Thesis: Microbial interactions with cyanobacteria and zooplankton
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Angela Vogts
Thesis: Waxy alkanes and alcohols in ocean sediments as indicators of continental climate change - validation of a molecular parameter
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Dagmar Rocker
Thesis: Bacterial degradation of refractory organic material in the Weser estuary and the North Sea
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Sabrina Beckmann
Thesis: Microbial Methane Formation in Abandoned Coal Mines in the Ruhr Basin of Germany
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Jöran März
Thesis: Studying physical and biological aspects of coastal suspended particulate matter (SPM) dynamics using a novel distribution-based flocculation (DBFloc) model
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Constanze Jenschke     
Thesis: Studying physical and biological aspects of coastal suspended particulate matter (SPM) dynamics using a novel distribution-based flocculation (DBFloc) model
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Jan Moritz Holstein
Thesis: Microbial mediation of geochemical cycling in model studies of early diagenesis
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Berthe Corti

Dr. Jens Zahnow
Thesis: Aggregation and Fragmentation Dynamics of Inertial Particles in Fluid Flows
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Kerstin Kolditz
Thesis: Investigation of pore water and sediment geochemistry in the salt marshes of Langeoog in the course of simulated transgression
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Thomas Riedel
Thesis: Investigations on the groundwater-surface exchange in the back mudflats of the island Spiekeroog
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Tim Lachnit
Thesis: Epibacterial Colonisation of Marine Macroalgae: From Communities to Compounds
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Tilmann Harder
Working Group: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr Tilmann Harder

Dr. Edwin Alexander Cerquera Soacha
Thesis: Fast reconstruction of motion from multielectrode records of retinal ganglion cells
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Stefanie Glöß
Thesis: Detection and characterisation of polyphosphate-storing bacteria in aquatic sediments
Supervisor: PD Dr Hans-Peter Grossart
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Dirk Brouwer
Thesis: Reconstruction of palaeoproductivity using Sr/Ca ratios and organic-geochemical biomarkers
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Claudia Scherr
Thesis: Effects of highly diluted substances on growth of plant and microbial model organisms

Dr. Marc Herlyn
Thesis: The mussel stock of the Lower Saxon tidal flats - quantitative assessment and spatio-temporal variability
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Ekkehard Vareschi
Working Group: Aquatic Ecology Prof. Dr. Ekkehard Vareschi

Dr. Helge-Ansgar Giebel
Thesis: The Roseobacter Clade Affiliated (RCA) Cluster: Its occurrence and abundance in the Southern Ocean and North Sea and physiological investigations of isolated strains
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Andrea Kölzsch
Thesis: Large-scale biological transportation networks - cargo ship traffic and bird migration
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Ulf Gräwe     
Thesis: Hervey Bay - Insights from Numerical Modelling into the Hydrodynamics of an Australian Subtropical Bay
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Gunnar Brandt     
Thesis: Ecological variability in coastal oceans: simulating biological- physical interactions with Lagrangian Individual-based models
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Kraft

Dr. Kristine Michelle Hutalle-Schmelzer
Thesis: How does availability of allochthonous, dissolved organic matter (DOM) influence bacterial community composition in clear water and humic lakes?

Dr. Almut Bunte
Thesis: Geochemical signatures of black shale deposits of the Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (Cenomanian/Turonian) in the tropical Atlantic (Demerara Rise, ODP Leg 207) and northern Germany (Wunstorf)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. George van Voorn
Thesis: Ecological Implications of Global bifurcations

Dr. Dirk Stiefs
Thesis: Relating generalized and specific modelling in population dynamical systems
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Annette Grathoff
Thesis: Changes in bacterioplankton community composition by incubation with the freshwater macrophytes Iris pseudacorus and Mentha aquatica
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Luise Berthe-Corti

Dr Stephan Kotzur
Thesis: Simulation of diurnal and seasonal plankton dynamics in coastal waters
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ebenhöh

Dr. Maik Grunwald
Thesis: Dynamics of methane and nutrients in the Wadden Sea of the Southern North Sea: time series and budgets
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Daniel Ziehe
Thesis: Amino acid D/L ratios in biogenic carbonates as a key to dating Holocene sedimentation processes in the North German coastal region
Supervisor: Prof. Liebezeit
Working Group: Marine Chemistry

Dr. Michael Seidel   
Thesis: Intact polar membrane lipids as biomarkers for the characterisation of microbial communities in tidal flat sediments
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Ann-Kathrin Scherf
Thesis: Geochemical characterisation of microbial mats from the tidal zone of the United Arab Emirates and incubation experiment to study microbial association
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Michael Meder
Thesis: Biological colonisation of facade coatings as a function of dispersion and pigment volume concentration

Dr. Elke Freese
Thesis: Characterisation of the organic material and investigation of the temperature-dependent fatty acid composition of bacteria from sediments of the Spiekeroog back mudflats
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Goran Georgievski
Thesis: Implications of the Late Quaternary Glacio-Eustatic Sea level Changes in the Black Sea Catchment Area
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Anne-Marie Berghoff
Thesis: Suitability of microcosms for the assessment of self-purification processes (natural attenuation) in the groundwater of a former coking plant site

Dr. Urlike Pogoda de la Vega   
Thesis: Residual restoration of DNA lesions in Deinococcus radiodurans mutants indicate presence of a bypass UV-repair process

Dr. Jörg Fichtel
Thesis: Determination of the endospore fraction of the microbial community in tidal flat sediments
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Knut Bernhardt
Thesis: Data-adaptive reduction of process-based models
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Ursula Frerichs-Deeken
Thesis: Bacterial 2,4-dioxygenases: Studies to elucidate the catalytic mechanism of cofactor-free 1H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinine 2,4-dioxygenase.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Fetzner

Dr. Antje Gittel
Thesis: Community structure, activity and ecophysiology of sulfate-reducing bacteria in deep tidal flat sediments
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Ann Warimu Muohi
Thesis: Bioaccumulation of trace metals in biota (Algae and Chironomids) from Kenyan saline lakes (Bororia and Nakuru): Evaluation and verification of two compartment toxicokinetic models
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Irene Witte

Dr. Katja Bosselmann
Thesis: Sulfate reduction and iron-manganese cycling in intertidal surface sediments of the southern North Sea
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Kristine Jung
Thesis: Evalucation of spatial and temporal models to assess the bioaccumulation of trace metals in marine invertebrates
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Ekkehard Vareschi
Working Group: Aquatic Ecology Prof. Dr. Ekkehard Vareschi

Dr. Ka Sin Lam  
Thesis: Allelopathy of marine macroalgae against microbial epibiosis
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Tilmann Harder
Working Group: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr Tilmann Harder

Dr. Markus Harle
Thesis: Characterisation of local properties and prediction in chaotic dynamical systems
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Michael Buschermöhle
Thesis: Neurosensory Modeling of Signal Detection in Comodulated Noise
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Ebenhöh

Dr. Melanie Beck
Thesis: Pore water biogeochemistry and trace metal dynamics in deep intertidal flat sediments
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack
Working Group: Microbiogeochemistry Prof. Dr Hans-Jürgen Brumsack

Dr. Mathias Sandulescu
Thesis: Transport and biological activity in chaotic open flosw: a numerical study in idealized oceanic flows
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel
Working Group: Theoretical Physics / Complex Systems Prof. Dr. Ulrike Feudel

Dr. Ferdinand Esser
Thesis: Do microbial or biochemical settlement cues on the sediment surface mediate larval settlement of Polydora cornuta and Streblospio benedicti(Polychaeta, Spionidae)?
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Tilmann Harder
Working Group: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr Tilmann Harder

Dr Ralf Wöstmann
Thesis: Biomarkers in peat-forming plants and their deposits in the northwestern German coastal region as indicators of post-glacial vegetation change
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter          
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter

Dr. Parisa Mohammadi      
Thesis: Rock inhabition and Deteriorating Fungi from Carbonate Monuments of Persepolis - Isolation,Characterization, and Inhibitory Treatment
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Krummbein        

Dr. Kevin Bube
Thesis: Surface Characterisation with Nonliear Methods Based on Scale Analysis
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Beate Rink
Thesis: Structure and dynamics of heterotrophic bacterial communities in the Wadden Sea and the German Bight
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Beate Köpke
Thesis: Distribution, composition and activities of microbial communities in tidal flat sediments from the surface to several metres depth
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Meinhard Simon
Working Group: Biology of Geological Processes Prof. Dr. Meinhard Simon

Dr. Marcus Nachtkamp
Thesis: Combination effect of lipophilic and hydrophilic substances - impact on composition and metabolic activity of marine bacterial communities
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Luise Berthe-Corti

Dr. Zita Sebesvari
Thesis: Sediment-associated signals for larval settlement of Poydora corunta and Streblospio benedicti (Polychaeta, Spionidae)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Tilmann Harder
Working Group: Environmental Biochemistry Prof. Dr Tilmann Harder

Dr. Xin Liu
Thesis: Developing and Testing Integrated Decsion Support Models for Coastal Management
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jörg Wolff
Working Group: Physical Oceanography (Theory)

Dr. Jacqueline Süß
Thesis: Cultivation-dependent analysis of microbial communities in sapropelas of the eastern Mediterranean Sea
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Martin Allgaier
Thesis: Diversity and dynamics of bacterial communities in four selected lakes of the Mecklenburg Lake District
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Willm Martens-Habbena
Thesis: Microbial communities at the chemocline of anoxic basins of the central Baltic Sea
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Verena Reineke
Thesis: Toxic effects of aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures isolated from crude oils to blue mussels (Mytilus edulis)
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka
Working Group: Palaeomicrobiology Prof. Dr Heribert Cypionka

Dr. Simone Geyer
Thesis: Combined effects of heavy metals and UVA/B radiation on the composition and metabolic activity of marine bacterial communities
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Krummbein

Dr. Florian Rommerskirchen
Thesis: Fossil C4 plant signals in Southeast Atlantic Ocean continental margin sediments indicate climate-dependent vegetation changes on
Supervisor: Prof. Dr Jürgen Rullkötter          
Working Group: Organic Geochemistry Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter