Sonja Vanderhaeghen

Sonja Vanderhaeghen serves as Head of Laboratory at the Institute for Microbiology, Technical University of Munich since 2019, leading research on bacterial genetics and metagenomics under Prof. Wolfgang Liebl's chair.

Her academic background includes a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Bayreuth (2009-2012), M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with thesis work at ETH Zürich on Bifidobacteria analysis (2012-2014), and a Ph.D. in microbial ecology focused on overlapping genes in E. coli EDL933 (2014-2019).

Dr. Vanderhaeghen's research centers on natural transformation mechanisms in Actinobacteria, Sec-system secretion localization in Streptomyces lividans hyphae, and metagenome screening for biocatalysts using alternative expression hosts like Bacillus and Thermus thermophilus. Her work addresses critical gaps in understanding DNA uptake regulation in understudied bacterial phyla and expands biocatalyst discovery beyond traditional E. coli systems.

No scientific awards were mentioned in available documentation.

She actively mentors four students: PhD candidates Yajing Liu, Luis Serrano, Rui Han, and Master's student Bernhard Freese. Current projects include natural competence in Micrococcus luteus, sugar beet pulp biocatalyst identification, and developing Gram-positive expression systems for metagenomic screening.

The Lab Vanderhaeghen operates within TUM's Institute for Microbiology, contributing to the department's broader research on extremophiles, biotechnologically relevant bacteria, and microbial community analysis through 16S rDNA sequencing.