Project Team Angela Sessitsch / Markus Gorfer

SessitschPD Dr. Angela SESSITSCH

Head of Competence Unit Bioresources
Center for Health & Bioresources
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH

Education:
PhD and Postdoctoral Position at Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Venia docendi (Habilitation) at University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna

Research Interests:
Microbial Ecology and Endophytic Interactions

Biography:
Angela Sessitsch is since 2004 Head of Competence Unit Bioresources at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH. The Unit comprises ca. 50 employees, mainly scientists, PhD students and technicians. The focus of the research unit is on molecular microbial ecology, endophytic interactions and plant genetic resources.

Honours and Activities for the Scientific Community

  • President of the Austrian Association of Molecular Life Sciences and Biotechnology (ÖGMBT)
  • Member of the Austrian Commission of Gene Technology, since 1999
  • Nominated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as member of the Scientific Panel (2003-2006) and as ad-hoc expert (2006-) on Genetically Modified Organisms
  • ARC Award for scientific excellence 2003 and 2005
  • APART fellowship 1999-2002 (ÖAW)

GorferDr. Markus GORFER

Scientist Competence Unit Bioresources
Center for Health & Bioresources
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH

Education:
PhD at the TU Vienna
Postdoctoral Position at University of Helsinki, Finland

Research Interests:
Fungal Ecology and Bioaerosol Science

Biography:
Markus Gorfer is head of a working group on fungal ecology and bioaerosol sciences at the Competence Unit Bioresources. The focus is on molecular methods to unravel the fungal contribution to ecosystem functioning.

Proposed PhD research project:
From allergen molecules towards diagnosis and treatment of mold allergy

Selected Recent Publications:

  • Rodriguez, C.E., Antonielli, L., Mitter, B., Trognitz, F., Sessitsch, A., 2020. Heritability and Functional Importance of the Setaria viridis Bacterial Seed Microbiome. Phytobiomes J 4, 40-52.
  • Deltedesco, E., Keiblinger, K.M., Piepho, H.P., Antonielli, L., Potsch, E.M., Zechmeister-Boltenstern, S., Gorfer, M., 2020. Soil microbial community structure and function mainly respond to indirect effects in a multifactorial climate manipulation experiment. Soil Biol. Biochem. 142.
  • Sessitsch, A., Pfaffenbichler, N., Mitter, B., 2019. Microbiome Applications from Lab to Field: Facing Complexity. Trends Plant Sci. 24, 194-198.
  • Pogner, C., Konlechner, A., Unterwurzacher, V., Kolk, A., Hinker, M., Molter, L., Strauss, J., Gorfer, M., Strauss-Goller, S., 2019. A novel laminar-flow-based bioaerosol test system to determine biological sampling efficiencies of bioaerosol samplers. Aerosol Sci. Tech. 53, 355-370.
  • Compant, S., Samad, A., Faist, H., Sessitsch, A., 2019. A review on the plant microbiome: Ecology, functions, and emerging trends in microbial application. J Adv Res 19, 29-37.
  • Alliance, T.P., Breakfield, N.W., Leach, J.E., Beattie, G.A., Eversole, K., Guilhabert, M., Ryan, M.J., Sessitsch, A., 2019. The International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research: Advancing international phytobiomes research for food security. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 32, 57-57.
  • Unterwurzacher, V., Pogner, C., Berger, H., Strauss, J., Strauss-Goller, S., Gorfer, M., 2018. Validation of a quantitative PCR based detection system for indoor mold exposure assessment in bioaerosols. Environmental Science-Processes & Impacts 20, 1454-1468.
  • Sessitsch, A., Brader, G., Pfaffenbichler, N., Gusenbauer, D., Mitter, B., 2018. The contribution of plant microbiota to economy growth. Microb Biotechnol 11, 801-805.