Victor Sourjik

Prof. Dr. Victor Sourjik is a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and a Professor of Biology and Physics at Philipps-Universität Marburg. His research group focuses on quantitative microbiology using Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae as model organisms.

• Combines experimental and computational approaches to study cellular networks
• Investigates chemotaxis, motility, and biofilm formation
• Explores microbial community dynamics and synthetic biology applications

Research interests revolve around understanding how microbial networks process environmental and internal signals to regulate physiological behaviors. Key areas include:

• Signal integration in chemotaxis pathways
• Regulation of motility-sessile transitions via c-di-GMP
• Stochasticity in gene expression and network dynamics
• Evolutionary optimization of microbial functions
• Engineering biohybrid systems using bacterial motility

His recent publications highlight interdisciplinary work at the intersection of microbiology, biophysics, and synthetic biology. Notable trends include:

• Deciphering motility-chemotaxis trade-offs in bacterial fitness
• Elucidating mechanisms of surface adhesion in biofilm formation
• Developing synthetic microbial consortia for studying symbiosis

Lab members include Project Group Leaders Dr. Remy Colin and Dr. Leanid Laganenka, along with technical and doctoral researchers. The group employs advanced techniques such as fluorescence microscopy, microfluidic assays, and experimental evolution.