Field of Work
Current important research projects of Prof. Kleindienst are:
- Microbial degradation of oil in the oceans
- Microbial transformation of nitrate in aquifers
- Microbial degradation of glyphosate in soils
As part of her ERC Starting Grant, Prof. Kleindienst is researching the effects of surfactants from glyphosate mixtures on microorganisms in the environment. Press release
Personal Information
Sara Kleindienst studied biology in Oldenburg and received her PhD in 2012 from the University of Bremen on the topic of "Hydrocarbon-degrading sulfate-reducing bacteria at marine gas and oil seeps". As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Georgia, her research investigated the microbiological processes involved in hydrocarbon degradation following the environmental disaster caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig fire. In 2015, she moved to the University of Tübingen, initially as head of a junior research group, and from 2017 as junior professor of microbial ecology and head of an Emmy Noether research group. In July 2022, she was appointed professor and heads the Department of Environmental Microbiology at the Institute of Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management at the University of Stuttgart.
Sara Kleindienst has received recognition from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation's Elite Program for Postdocs, the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH's Fast Track Program, and has also received funding from the DFG's Emmy Noether Program.
In 2022, she received an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council.