Jonas Wick

Dr. Jonas Wick is a Scientist in the Department of Microbial Biotechnology at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ in Leipzig, Germany, a position he has held since October 2023. His research focuses on microbial biotechnology with particular expertise in fungal secondary metabolite biosynthesis.

Dr. Wick completed his PhD in the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, Germany between 2015 and 2018. His doctoral research centered on the biosynthesis of natural products in fungi.

His primary research interests include Microbial Biotechnology, Natural Product Biosynthesis, Fungal Metabolism, Secondary Metabolite Production, and Psilocybin Research. Dr. Wick's work in the Systems Biotechnology working group explores the molecular mechanisms behind the production of bioactive compounds in fungi, with a particular focus on psilocybin and related compounds in "magic mushrooms." His research combines genetic, biochemical, and systems biology approaches to understand and potentially engineer biosynthetic pathways.

Dr. Wick's publication record demonstrates a strong focus on fungal natural products, particularly his work on psilocybin biosynthesis pathways and the discovery of related compounds like norpsilocin. His research has contributed significantly to understanding the enzymatic mechanisms behind tryptamine methylation in Psilocybe species.

Dr. Wick has collaborated extensively with research groups at Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, particularly with the research group led by Prof. Dirk Hoffmeister, with whom he has co-authored multiple publications on fungal secondary metabolism.