Prof. Dr. Beate Averhoff

BIOGRAPHY

 

 

 

 

 

ACADEMIC POSITION

 

Professor at the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Bionergetics

at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany

 

EDUCATION

  • Diplom (Biology), Georg-August-University Göttingen, 1985
  • Dr. rer. nat. (Microbiology), Georg-August-University Göttingen, 1988

 

CAREER

  • Postdoc, Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 1988 – 1989
  • Postdoc, Microbiology, Yale University, 1989-1990
  • Group leader, Microbiology, German Research Center for Biotechnology, Braunschweig, 1990 – 1992
  • Group leader (Habilitand), Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 1992 – 2001
  • Habilitation (Microbiology), Georg-August-University Göttingen, 1998
  • Assistant Professor (C3, temporary), Institute of Genetics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU), Munich, 2001 – 2004
  • Appointment as Professor, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, 2006 – present

 

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

  • Editorial Board: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Extremophiles, Frontiers in Microbiology,
  • Referee: Arch. Microbiol., Mol. Microbiol., Appl. Microbiol. Biotech., Trends Microbiol., Microbiology, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Extremophiles, IJMM, ISME, Microbiol. Biotech., Frontiers in Microbiology
  • Treasurer: German Society for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM)
  • Delegate: FEMS delegate of the VAAM
  • Representative: Womens Council of the faculty of Biosciences (Goethe University)
  • Mentor: Mentoring of female PhD students and post-docs (Scimento)
  • Advisor/consultant: Biotech companies

 

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Member of the Society for General and Applied Microbiology (Germany)
  • Member of the American Society for Microbiology (USA)
  • Member of the International Society for Extremophiles (Germany)     

 

RESEARCH INTERESTS

 

DNA transport machineries of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria: Structure and function of key components of DNA transporter and DNA transporter subassemblies, genetic organization and regulation of competence genes, in vivo detection of DNA transporter, mechanism of DNA uptake in Acinetobacter baylyi and Thermus thermophilus.

 

Physiology of Acinetobacter: Metabolic adaptation of Acinetobacter strains to the human host and clinical environments. Analysis of degradative pathways, pathway regulation and identification of key enzymes.

 

Adaptation of bacteria to extreme environments: Molecular basis of osmotic adaptation and regulation of osmoadaptation of Acinetobacter strains, thermoadaptation of Thermus thermophilus.

 

Adhesion, biofilm formation and pilus biogenesis of Thermus thermophilus.