Prof. Dr. Lena Daumann

As a bioinorganic chemist I study the role of metals in biology, but especially iron and the lanthanides (Ln, as part of the rare earth elements). My group studies the acquisition and utilization of Ln by (often plant-associated) methylotrophic bacteria. The importance of Ln and their mobilization from soil in plant-microbe interactions and on microbial physiology and colonization in plants remains poorly understood. Understanding how bacteria scavenge trace metals from the soil matrix is relevant for how soil chemistry shapes microbiome structure and function.