Matthias Köck

PD Dr. Matthias Köck is a Senior Lecturer in Ecological Chemistry at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), specializing in marine natural products research. His work focuses on structural elucidation of bioactive compounds from marine organisms using advanced NMR techniques and computational methods. Key research areas include configuration analysis of complex natural products, biodegradation studies of marine plastics, and the ecological and pharmacological activities of marine-derived metabolites.

He leads projects on structure determination of marine alkaloids, such as those from Arctic sponges and Caribbean seaweeds, with applications in drug discovery and environmental monitoring. His lab employs techniques like floating chirality distance geometry and Bayesian inference for configuration analysis. Köck collaborates internationally on studies of marine biodiversity and the biological activity of compounds isolated from sponges, actinobacteria, and sea cucumbers.

Notable contributions include identifying novel synthetic cannabinoids, developing methods for rapid plastic degradation assessment, and discovering bioactive compounds with antiviral and antibacterial properties. His work bridges analytical chemistry, marine biology, and environmental science, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to address ecological and health challenges.