Stephan Köstlbacher

Stephan Köstlbacher, PhD, is an active academic researcher in microbial evolution, with significant contributions to understanding archaeal systems and eukaryotic origins. His affiliations span multiple institutions through external collaborations, including work with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, University of Texas, and Wageningen University & Research.

Research interests include:

• Evolutionary biology of Asgard archaea
• CRISPR-Cas systems and RNA interference
• Metagenomics of extreme environments
• Eukaryotic cell origin theories

Recent publications focus on:

• Describing novel archaeal species (Asgardarchaeum abyssi)
• Investigating RNA-guided silencing in archaea
• Exploring CRISPR-Cas cascades in proteolytic cleavages
• Analyzing viral modulation of methane metabolism
• Mapping eukaryotic evolution trajectories

As co-promotor for Panagiotou K.'s PhD project on phylogenomic exploration of the Tree of Life, he contributes to next-generation scientific training. Research metrics show strong citation impact (up to 18 citations) and broad academic engagement (over 120 Mendeley readers).