Morten Schiøtt

Morten Schiøtt serves as an Academic Project Leader in the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), specializing in enzyme technology and virology within the DTU Microbes Initiative. He coordinates the EU Reference Laboratory for Fish and Crustacean Diseases and actively contributes to research on aquaculture pathogens and marine biorefining.

Research Interests: His work integrates microbiology, virology, and biotechnology to address infectious diseases in aquaculture (e.g., Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus, Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus) and develop enzymatic solutions for seaweed biomass valorization. Key areas include animal health surveillance, reservoir species dynamics, tailored alginate modification, sulfated polysaccharide degradation, and evolutionary studies of social insects like fungus-farming ants. This interdisciplinary approach supports UN Sustainable Development Goals for Life Below Water (SDG 14) and Responsible Consumption (SDG 12).

Publication Trends: Recent publications (2024–2025) reveal dual innovation tracks: (1) Molecular diagnostics advancements for real-time PCR error reduction in viral detection, critical for aquaculture disease management, and (2) Enzyme-driven biorefinery processes for brown seaweed, including mannuronan C5-epimerases for alginate engineering and metagenomic discovery of sulfated polysaccharide-active enzymes. These efforts emphasize sustainable biomaterial production and food security.

Scientific Awards: No awards are documented in available sources.

Advising and Grants: Schiøtt supervises PhD candidate Genavia, S. on circular viral DNA in shrimp immunity (2023–2026) and led the EU Reference Laboratory project (2018–2022), which garnered significant attention with coverage by 7 news outlets, 84 X posts, and 32 Bluesky references. His grant portfolio focuses on applied solutions for aquaculture health and marine biotechnology.

Labs and Teams: As a core member of DTU’s Section for Protein Chemistry and Enzyme Technology, he collaborates internationally across Denmark, China, and Iceland, with co-authorship spanning ant genomics, viral diagnostics, and seaweed enzyme applications through the DTU Microbes Initiative.