Ruth Schmitz-Streit

Ruth Schmitz-Streit is a Professor of Microbiology at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, where she serves as Director of the Institute for General Microbiology (Section Biology) since 2004. Her research spans molecular regulation in prokaryotes, marine nitrogen cycles, archaeal interactions with human immune systems, and biofilm dynamics, with significant contributions to metagenomics and biotechnological enzyme discovery.

• Education: Diplom (1989) and PhD (1992) in Microbiology from University of Marburg, Postdoc (1994-1996) at UC Berkeley, Habilitation (2001) at University of Göttingen

Her work on Methanosarcina mazei has uncovered novel regulatory mechanisms involving small RNAs, while her marine research explores jellyfish-microbiome interactions and plastic-degrading enzymes. She leads projects within the Excellence Cluster Future Ocean, SFB1182, and multiple DFG Priority Programs. Current research emphasizes interdisciplinary training through the Integrated School of Ocean Sciences (ISOS).

Scientific Leadership Roles:

• President of German Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM)
• Speaker of Priority Program 2002 "Small Proteins in Prokaryotes"
• Co-Principal Investigator in SFB754 and SFB1182