Dr. Katharina Saß
In my project, I aim to reveal the metabolic secrets and the capacity of the microbiomes of hydrothermal vents in the Arctic deep-sea.
Dr. Katharina Saß is studying deep-sea hydrothermal vents to find new types of microorganisms that can help break down complex materials. Degradation of e.g. chitin or plastic polymers is a big challenge in industry. She plans to collect and grow these microorganisms using different materials as substrates, while also figuring out the specific microbes and enzymes responsible for breaking down these components. The goal of her KiTE project is to discover new enzymes that can be used in various industries and to better understand how microbial communities function in the deep-sea environments.
Katharina completed her doctorate at the University of Hamburg, Germany, in 2021. She spent her first postdoctoral phase at the Deep-Sea Biology and Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Norway. Now Dr. Saß works at the Institute of General Microbiology of Kiel University.
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Five questions to Dr. Katharina Saß
What is your KiTE project about?
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents constitute important habitats to find new microbial solutions that are urgently needed by the bioprocessing industry, where the degradation of complex materials is often a major challenge. Therefore, my project deals with long-term in-situ enrichment approaches based on natural and synthetic substrates, indicating the responsible microorganisms and enzymes involved in the respective degradation processes. The two main objectives of the project are 1) the targeted enrichment and cultivation of heterotrophic microorganisms from in-situ incubations based on different sorts of polymers and 2) to determine the underlying processes of polymer degrading consortia. By using metagenomes and metatranscriptomes new enzymes for various industries will be discovered. Furthermore, the metabolic secrets and the capacity of the microbiomes of hydrothermal vents in the Arctic deep-sea will be revealed.
Where does your passion for history come from?
From the book “The Swarm” (in German “Der Schwarm”) written by Frank Schätzing. The book is about the existential threat to humanity from an unknown, intelligent marine life form. That motivated me to discover the unknown.
A typical question you are asked as soon as people find out what you are doing
“Do you dive to get your samples?” The answer is no.
Tell us about your academic journey to Kiel
After finishing my PhD in Hamburg in 2021 I moved on to the University of Bergen in Norway. Funded by a DFG Walter Benjamin fellowship, I spent two years as a postdoc in the Deep-Sea Biology Group led by Ida Helen Steen. Additionally, being a part of the Center for Deep Sea Research enabled me to take part in two research cruises to the Arctic Mid Ocean Ridge to collect samples and conduct various experiments.
After the two years, I was offered a 6-month contract by Prof. Steen to finish my experiments, so I stayed in Norway a bit longer than expected. In spring 2024, I returned to Germany on a DFG return fellowship and used the time to start writing papers and looking for my next position, which brought me to Kiel to work on my own KiTE project in the group of Prof. Schmitz-Streit.
What is your life´s mantra?
“Follow your curiosity. It will lead you to your purpose. (Dr. Jennifer Doudna)”