PEAK-Expert
Andreas Wagner
Focus
BIOGAS MICROBIOLOGY AND ANAEROBIC DEGREDATION
Contact
email:
Andreas.Wagner@uibk.ac.at
phone:
+43 512 507-51342
web:
Andreas Wagner (personal webpage)
Applied Ecophysiology in Anaerobic Habitats (working group)
Speaks: English, German
Andreas Wagner is a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Microbiology, where he heads the research group Applied Ecophysiology in Anaerobic Habitats, which investigates anaerobic microorganisms in their interactions with the environment. A major focus of his work lies in understanding microbial processes during biogas production. In this context, he and his team study anaerobic degradation processes, particularly the process of methanogenesis, in which methane is produced through microbiological metabolic pathways. Through the development and improvement of anaerobic cultivation techniques, his group plays a leading role in the description of previously undiscovered species. Another research focus is the detection of various pollutants in the environment. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his team were involved in the detection and monitoring of COVID viruses in wastewater, and they are also producing an Austria-wide map showing the distribution of bisphenol A (BPA) in environmental samples with the help of citizen scientists.
Focus cloud: anaerobic degradation, biogas, methane, methanogenesis, wastewater, pollutants, wastewater monitoring, anaerobic cultivation techniques, ecophysiology of anaerobes
About
Andreas Wagner completed his habilitation at the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Innsbruck with a thesis on biogas microbiology. He currently leads a research group at the institute and investigates the diversity, adaptive capacity, and resilience of anaerobic pure cultures and microbial communities (microbiomes) using a wide range of cultivation-based, chemical-analytical, and molecular biological/bioinformatic methods.