Department Environmental Microbiology

Environmental Microbiology

Our research focuses on microbial life and activities in the environment. We strive to understand the basic rules and principles that govern the functioning of microbes and microbial communities, and then apply those principles to solve pressing applied problems.

Read more

Selected Publications

Drinking Water Microbiology: Review on biological approaches to control Legionella growth in building plumbing systems.

Microbial Systems Ecology: Article describing how marine bacteria regulate enzyme secretion and cellular behavior to achieve degradation of complex polysaccharides in the ocean, an important process in the global carbon cycle. 

Microbial Community Assembly: Article showing that the timing of antibiotic administration determines the proliferation of antibiotic resistance-encoding plasmids.

Pathogens and Human Health: Article on "Mapping safe drinking water use in low- and middle-income countries". An estimated 4 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, with fecal contamination of household water supplies as the primary limiting factor.

Microbial Specialized Metabolism: Over 2/3 of pharmaceuticals are mainly excreted through urine. Most studies have focused on the gut microbiota, neglecting biotransformations in urinary by the urinary tract microbiota, which we investigate in this study.

 

Seminars

There are currently no events on this topic. In our agenda you will find other events of Eawag

News

June 12, 2025 –

Many bacteria produce a protein complex to inject poison in their neighbouring cells. This was previously thought to eliminate their competitors. But now researchers at Eawag and ETH Zurich have shown: The killer bacteria can act...

Many bacteria produce a protein complex to inject poison in their neighbouring cells. This was previously thought to eliminate their competitors. But now researchers at Eawag and ETH Zurich have shown: The killer bacteria can act as biological predators that feed on their prey.

Read more

Selected Research Projects

This project aims to characterize, model and predict enzyme families driving pollutant biotransformations in periphyton.
Application of Wastewater-based Epidemiology to SARS-CoV-2 Detection
We combine computational, experimental and clinical approaches to develop a clearer view of microbiomes.
Inhalation of legionella bacteria – which thrive in warm water – can cause illness: in a new project, an Eawag-led multidisciplinary research team is investigating how the risks associated with these bacteria can best be managed.