Research Project

Quantitative Analysis of Metabolic Interactions and Growth Dynamics in Cross-Feeding Bacterial Consortia

Microbial communities often rely on metabolic interactions between different strains, yet it remains challenging to predict how single-cell properties shape growth and spatial organization at the community level. Therefore, amino acid auxotrophic bacteria are investigated as a model system for cross-feeding interactions within multicellular clusters. Using microfluidic single-cell cultivation, strain-specific growth properties, such as amino acid-dependent growth and amino acid affinity, are quantitatively characterized under controlled environmental conditions. In defined co-cultures, live-cell imaging is used to analyze spatio-temporal growth dynamics and spatial organization within bacterial aggregates. Ultimately, the aim is to link metabolic traits of individual cells to emergent growth patterns in microbial consortia.

Curriculum vitae

01/2026-present	PhD Candidate; Institute of Process Engineering in Life Sciences, Microsystems in Bioprocess Engineering
10/2024-05/2025	Master Thesis: Development of a Process for the Purification of Fermentatively Produced L-Malic Acid
10/2024-05/2025	Institute of Interfacial Process Engineering and Plasma Technology, University of Stuttgart / Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
05/2024-08/2024	Internship: Development and Optimization of Downstream Processes for the Purification of Organic Acids Produced via Fermentation
05/2024-08/2024	Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Bioprocess Development Group
04/2023-09/2025	Master of Science in Chemical and Bioengineering
04/2023-09/2025	University of Stuttgart
05/2021-11/2022	Bachelor Thesis: Biocompatibility of Polysaccharides with the Microalga Chlorella vulgaris
05/2021-11/2022	Institute of Interfacial Process Engineering and Plasma Technology, University of Stuttgart / Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB
10/2019-11/2022	Bachelor of Science in Chemical and Bioengineering
10/2019-11/2022	University of Stuttgart