Jens O. Krömer

Prof. Dr. Jens O. Krömer is a Group Leader in the Department of Microbial Biotechnology at the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany. His research focuses on systems biotechnology, particularly the metabolic engineering of microbes for sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, and therapeutics. He leads the Systems Biotechnology working group, applying modeling and multi-omics tools to optimize microbial cell factories.

• PhD in Biochemical Engineering, Saarland University (2006)
• Diplom Biologist, Saarland University (2002)
• International exchange at University of Technology Sydney (1999)

His research interests lie at the intersection of synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and bioelectrochemistry. He investigates redox metabolism in both heterotrophic (e.g., Pseudomonas putida) and autotrophic (e.g., Synechocystis) systems, with applications in bioelectrochemical systems (BES), biophotovoltaics, and CO₂ valorization. His work emphasizes the integration of fluxomics, metabolomics, and computational modeling to understand and engineer microbial physiology for industrial biotechnology.

The most recent publications reflect a strong trend toward sustainable bioproduction using solar energy and waste resources. Key themes include engineering cyanobacterial cocultures for biohydrogen, enhancing acetate biosynthesis, understanding electron pathways in biophotovoltaics, and optimizing redox metabolism in Pseudomonas using bioelectrochemical systems. These works span journals in biotechnology, environmental science, and electrochemistry, indicating interdisciplinary impact.

• Highly commended finalist, UniQuest Trailblazer (2009)
• Best Performing Team Award, CRC Sugar Industry Innovation (2009)
• University of Queensland travel award (2010)
• Symposium Award (2008)
• Dr. Eduard Martin Preis (2007)
• Young Scientist Poster Award, EFB ECB 11 (2003)
• Metabolic Engineering Conference X Poster Award (2014)

Prof. Krömer has advised numerous PhD and postdoctoral researchers and has led multiple consulting projects with industry on metabolic modeling. His group actively develops and applies tools such as OpenFLUX for ¹³C-flux analysis. He has been involved in several collaborative initiatives, including the Centre for Microbial Electrochemical Systems (CEMES) at the University of Queensland. His future work is expected to further advance the integration of electrochemistry and synthetic biology for sustainable microbial production.

He leads the Systems Biotechnology group at UFZ, which focuses on developing microbial platforms for valorizing CO₂ and sunlight. The team combines experimental and computational approaches to engineer robust cell factories for green chemistry applications.