Elise Laetz

Elise Laetz serves as Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Groningen, leading the Ecophysiology and Evolution of Endosymbioses (E3) Lab. Her research focuses on marine symbiosis under climate change stressors, examining how organisms like solar-powered sea slugs, jellyfish, and anemones adapt to warming, acidification, and deoxygenation.

Education

• PhD in Biology, University of Bonn (2017)

Dr. Laetz investigates fundamental aspects of algae-animal symbiosis using integrative approaches across biological techniques. Her work explores tradeoffs in symbiotic relationships and predicts organismal responses to future ocean conditions, directly contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals for climate action and life below water. Research emphasizes chloroplast retention mechanisms, thermal tolerance limits, and photoprotective behaviors in marine invertebrates.

Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal critical patterns in marine symbiosis adaptation, with key studies on chloroplast integration in animal photosynthesis (Cell), thermal tolerance thresholds, and behavioral photoprotection in sea slugs. These works demonstrate how symbiotic organisms balance oxidative stress, oxygen dynamics, and metabolic tradeoffs under environmental stress, highlighting vulnerabilities in the 'deadly trio' of climate change impacts.

Scientific Awards

• Journal of Experimental Biology Outstanding Paper Prize (2024)
• NWO Veni Research Fellowship (2021)

Dr. Laetz directs the NWO-funded project 'Unraveling how solar-powered slugs steal chloroplasts and survive starvation' (2021-2026), securing €250,000 in competitive funding. She actively mentors graduate students in the E3 Lab, with research featured across 28+ news outlets and recognized as 'Featured Scientist by Women in Ocean Science' (2022). Media coverage includes Wikipedia references and viral social media engagement (209+ Bluesky mentions).

The E3 Lab operates at the Linnaeusborg campus (Room 5173.0313), utilizing advanced physiological and molecular techniques to study symbiosis evolution. Current projects examine chloroplast theft mechanisms, the 'deadly trio' destabilization effects, and metabolic adaptations in solar-powered slugs, with datasets publicly archived on DataverseNL and figshare.