Anna Weiss

Dr. Anna Weiss is a Lecturer at ETH Zurich's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, affiliated with Eawag's Ökologie Mikrobieller Systeme research group. Her work bridges microbial ecology and environmental systems science, focusing on gut microbiota interactions, synthetic microbial communities, and host-microbe relationships. She investigates topics such as keystone species in microbiomes, phage-bacteria dynamics, and pathogen resistance mechanisms using mouse models and in vitro systems.

Her research integrates experimental and computational approaches, with notable contributions to understanding pyruvate metabolism in Salmonella pathogenesis and the ecological roles of taurine-respiring bacteria. She collaborates across disciplines to model microbiome behavior and design synthetic microbial ecosystems for environmental and health applications.

Dr. Weiss has published extensively on microbiome modeling (e.g., Oligo-MM framework), phage impacts on commensal bacteria, and nutrient-driven community dynamics. Her work underscores the importance of ecological principles in understanding microbial communities' functional stability and adaptability.

Leveraging gnotobiotic mouse models and synthetic communities, her studies reveal how nutritional environments and host factors shape microbiome composition and function. This research has implications for developing strategies to combat infectious diseases and engineer beneficial microbial ecosystems.