Katharina Saß

Katharina Saß is a Research Fellow at the Institute of General Microbiology, Kiel University, within the Kiel Marine Science (KMS) priority research area. Her work focuses on uncovering the metabolic secrets of deep-sea hydrothermal vent microbiomes to identify novel enzymes for industrial applications, particularly in degrading complex materials like chitin and plastic polymers.

• Education:
  • PhD (2021) from the University of Hamburg, Germany
  • Postdoctoral research (2021-2023) at the University of Bergen, Norway

Research Focus: Dr. Saß employs in-situ enrichment techniques with natural/synthetic substrates and combines metagenomic/metatranscriptomic analyses to understand microbial degradation mechanisms. Her project is part of the KiTE (Kiel Life Science Early Career Researchers) program, which supports early-career scientists.

Scientific Contributions:

• DFG Walter Benjamin fellowship for Arctic deep-sea research
• DFG return fellowship for postdoctoral work in Norway

Current Role: She works under Prof. Ruth Schmitz-Streit at Kiel University, aiming to bridge microbial ecology with biotechnological innovation through her KiTE project.