KLI Colloquia are informal, public talks that are followed by extensive dissussions. Speakers are KLI fellows or visiting researchers who are interested in presenting their work to an interdisciplinary audience and discussing it in a wider research context. We offer three types of talks:
1. Current Research Talks. KLI fellows or visiting researchers present and discuss their most recent research with the KLI fellows and the Vienna scientific community.
2. Future Research Talks. Visiting researchers present and discuss future projects and ideas togehter with the KLI fellows and the Vienna scientific community.
3. Professional Developmental Talks. Experts about research grants and applications at the Austrian and European levels present career opportunities and strategies to late-PhD and post-doctoral researchers.
- The presentation language is English.
- If you are interested in presenting your current or future work at the KLI, please contact the Scientific Director or the Executive Manager.
Event Details
Topic description:
Interacting microbes are capable of implementing complex functions such as resistant starch degradation in human guts, denitrification of water in wastewater treatment or ABx tolerance in disease-related biofilms.
To better understand and manage microbial functions we require a system-wide analysis of microbial interactions with the aim of exploring the structure-function map of microbial communities. The heterogeneous distribution of ecological roles entails the emergence of keystone species. Such keystones are not only relevant for community persistence, but are also prime targets for improving human health. In my talk I will bridge between cellular and microbial communities giving examples of how insights can be transferred between these distinct biological communities.
Bibliographical note:
Stefanie Widder is a computational biologist at the Department of Microbial Ecology and Ecosystem Research, University of Vienna. She is working on the systems biology of complex communities, in particular microbial consortia and gene regulatory networks. Her research aims at predictive understanding of complex community functions that find application in human health and related fields (Widder et al. ISMEJ 2016).
