Ronja Krüsemer

Ronja Krüsemer is a Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Insect Symbiosis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, and an active member of the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS). She is pursuing her PhD at Friedrich Schiller University Jena under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Martin Kaltenpoth, Prof. Dr. Kai Papenfort, Dr. Sybille Unsicker, and Dr. Tobias Engl, with her doctoral research commencing in 2021.

Her academic background includes:

• M.Sc. in Biology from Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz (2019-2021)
• B.Sc. in Biology from Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz (2016-2019)

Ronja's research centers on intracellular symbioses between insects and microorganisms, investigating their critical role in insect diversification. She addresses the current limitations in experimentally tractable systems by establishing a novel genetic model using stored-grain pest beetles and Sodalis bacteria. Her work bridges molecular biology, entomology, and microbial ecology to dissect the molecular foundations of insect mutualisms, with specific focus on symbiont replacement mechanisms and host-symbiont coevolution.

Her scientific contributions were recognized in 2024 with the IMPRS Presentation Award for Best Talk, awarded for her presentation "Creating a genetically tractable symbiosis: experimental symbiont replacement in grain pest beetles".

As part of the research ecosystem at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Ronja collaborates within teams studying Insect Symbiosis, Chemistry of Insect Microbe Interactions, and Host Plant Adaptation and Immunity. Her work contributes to advancing genetically manipulable systems for symbiosis research while supporting broader departmental objectives in understanding ecological and evolutionary dynamics of insect-microbe relationships.