Name:                                     Prof. Dr. Andreas Kappler
Date of birth:                           14.11.1969
Address:                                  Center for Applied Geosciences, Geomicrobiology,
                                               Eberhard-Karls-University Tuebingen,
                                               Sigwartstraße 10, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany
Phone:                                    0049-7071-29-74992
Email:                                     andreas.kappler@uni-tuebingen.de
 
Curriculum Vitae
Since 2008                             Professor for Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tuebingen, Germany
2004 – 2008                           Head of the Emmy-Noether Junior Research Group for Geomicrobiology, University of Tuebingen, Germany
2002 – 2004                           Postdoctoral fellow in Geobiology, Caltech, USA
2000 – 2002                           Postdoctoral fellow in Environmental Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
October 2000                          PhD in Environmental Microbiology/Microbial Ecology, University of Konstanz, Germany
1997 –2000                            PhD studies, Research Group for Environmental Microbiology & Microbial Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Konstanz, Germany
Juli 1997                                 Diploma in Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Germany
1991 – 1997                           Chemistry studies, University of Konstanz, Germany
 
Other Proofs of Qualification
2020                                       Geochemical Fellow, European Assoc. of Geochemistry & Geochemical Soc.
2019                                       Terry Beveridge Award, Geobiology Society
2016                                       Honorary professor for Geomicrobiology at University of Aarhus, Denmark
2012                                       Recipient of an ERC Starting Grant
2008                                       Award for Biology of National Acadamy of Sciences (Goettingen, Germany)
2007                                       Nominated by the Faculty of Geosciences of the University of Tuebingen for the annual teaching award of the University of Tuebingen
 
2004                                       Emmy-Noether fellowship (German Research Foundation, DFG)
2002 - 2004                            DFG postdoctoral research fellowship
1998                                       Fellowship from Zeiss for Microbial Diversity Summer Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole, MA
 
1992 – 1997                           Fellowship Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation

Our group focuses on the interactions of microorganisms and iron-minerals in modern and ancient environments. These interactions also largely determine the fate of harmful organic and inorganic pollutants. Microbial iron-oxidizing and -reducing communities play a key role in iron-mineral formation and transformations. Studying both biological molecular mechanisms and geochemical conditions are crucial to the understanding of these biogeochemical processes. Therefore, we combine microscopic, spectroscopic and molecular techniques with geochemical analysis in order to understand modern and ancient iron biogeochemistry and its environmental impact. In more detail, our projects comprise: 

Biogeochemistry and molecular ecology of microbial iron cycling  

Microbial magnetite formation – Magnetic susceptibility as indicator for hydrocarbon contamination in the environment and assessment of the reactivity of biogenic minerals for contaminant degradation   

Physiology, genetics, high-resolution imaging and spectroscopic analysis of microbial Fe(II) oxidation and iron biomineralization  

Humic substances as electron shuttles in microbial/chemical redox processes  

Mechanisms of deposition and diagenesis of iron minerals in Banded Iron Formations (BIFs)   

Consequences of microbial Fe(II) oxidation and Fe(III) reduction for the environmental behaviour of Cd and As in soil-plant-microbe systems and As drinking water filters    

Microbial formation and degradation of halogenated organic compounds        

Impact of biochar addition on soil microbial community composition, microbial N-cycling, and contaminant transformation