Nicole Adam-Beyer

Nicole Adam-Beyer is a Postdoctoral Researcher at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, affiliated with the Research Area 2: Marine Biogeochemistry and the Marine Geosystems unit. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Hamburg and has been conducting research at GEOMAR since 2014. Her work is centered on geomicrobiology, particularly microbially influenced processes in marine environments.

Research Interests:
Nicole Adam-Beyer's research spans several interconnected areas in marine microbial biogeochemistry. Her primary focus includes microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) in offshore wind turbine foundations, the composition and function of benthic microbial communities, and microbially mediated biogeochemical processes in marine sediments. She also works on the development of deep-sea lander systems for in situ measurements of benthic fluxes. Her expertise lies in functional metagenomics, hydrogen metabolism in deep-sea microbes, and the ecological roles of microorganisms in hydrothermal vents and oxygen-deficient zones.

Recent Research Trends:
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on hydrogen cycling in marine microbial communities, particularly in extreme environments like deep-sea hydrothermal vents and seasonally hypoxic Baltic Sea sediments. She employs activity-based screening of metagenomic libraries to discover novel enzymes such as hydrogenases and RubisCOs, bridging molecular microbiology with biogeochemical processes. Her current work extends to applied environmental challenges, including corrosion in renewable energy infrastructure and carbon dioxide removal via enhanced weathering.

• Scientific Awards:
• Poster Award at the Annual Meeting of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM), 2022
• Young Researcher Award of the Prof. Dr. Werner Petersen Foundation for outstanding doctoral theses, 2020

Advising and Grants:
While no formal students are listed, Dr. Adam-Beyer has served as a leading scientist on multiple research cruises, indicating mentoring and leadership roles. She is actively involved in several major funded projects: MiCorFe (BMWK, 2023–2026) as project researcher, RETAKE II (BMBF, 2024–2027) and iFOODis (2023–2027) as associate scientist, and MUSE (2023–2029) as Co-PI for benthic sensor systems, demonstrating significant grant involvement and project leadership.

Labs and Teams:
She is embedded within the Geomicrobiology group at GEOMAR, contributing to experimental and field-based research on marine microbial processes. Her work involves collaboration with interdisciplinary teams focusing on ocean robotics, sensor development, and climate mitigation technologies.