Antonis Chatzinotas

Prof. Dr. Antonis Chatzinotas is a leading figure in Microbial Interaction Ecology at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and holds a Professorship at the University of Leipzig since 2020. His research focuses on understanding microbial and viral interactions in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, particularly how environmental changes affect community composition, genetic landscapes, and biogeochemical cycles.

• Head of Microbial Interaction Ecology group at UFZ
• Professor at University of Leipzig

Key research areas include:

• Microbial and viral diversity in pristine/aquifer systems
• Predatory interactions between protists/bacteria/viruses
• Applications in agroecosystems and environmental biotechnology
• Functional redundancy in microbial communities
• Impact of environmental variability on coexistence

Recent publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches combining DNA stable isotope probing, metagenomics, and ecological modeling to study bioaugmentation, pesticide-microbe interactions, and viral transport mechanisms. His work bridges theoretical ecology with practical environmental solutions.

Collaborations span institutions like EPFL, ETH Zurich, and University of Otago. Current projects explore low-risk biopesticides, virome-land use relationships, and microbial stability-vegetation links. The group actively supports open science principles and participates in transformative publishing agreements.