Thomas Kiørboe

Thomas Kiørboe is a Professor at the Section for Oceanography and Climate, National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua), Technical University of Denmark. He is a leading researcher in marine microbial ecology, with a focus on plankton dynamics, aquatic food webs, and the fluid mechanics of microbial life. He is affiliated with the Centre for Ocean Life and the DTU Microbes Initiative, highlighting his interdisciplinary approach to understanding oceanic ecosystems.

His research interests span marine ecology, plankton dynamics, microbial motility, predation, and fluid dynamics in biological systems. He investigates how microorganisms such as flagellates, diatoms, and copepods interact mechanically and ecologically in aquatic environments. His work integrates physics, biology, and ecology to uncover fundamental principles governing microbial foraging, predator-prey arms races, and suspension feeding.

Recent publications reveal a strong trend in understanding microbial foraging mechanisms, copepod swimming performance, and diatom-copepod coevolution. His studies often combine experimental biology with fluid dynamics modeling, contributing to both theoretical and applied marine science. The recurring themes include functional diversity, ecological trade-offs, and biomechanical constraints in planktonic organisms.

Thomas Kiørboe has supervised multiple PhD students, including F. Miano, K. Maar, S. Suzuki, and M. B. Rode, and has led significant research projects such as PHYMOT: Physics of Microbial Motility, funded by Marie Curie and other international programs. He has secured research grants focusing on fluid dynamics, microbial feeding, and aquatic suspension feeding, demonstrating sustained funding support for his innovative work.

He is actively involved in research networks and has participated in events like the Complex Motion in Fluids Summer School. His datasets are publicly available and referenced in academic and public platforms, including Mendeley and Wikipedia, indicating broad scholarly impact. He leads a dynamic research group centered on the physics and ecology of microbial life in the ocean.