By Christian Trant, AAU Communication and Public Affairs

Aalborg University has appointed Ramunas Stepanauskas as Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Bioscience through a direct appointment. This means that he has been offered the position without the usual open call for applications. It is a relatively rare occurrence in Aalborg University's history for professors to be appointed in this way, which says something about how highly sought-after Stepanauskas's research is in this context.

Ramunas Stepanauskas will be affiliated with the Center for Microbial Communities (CMC), whose overall research mission is to offer new understanding of the structure and function of microbial communities in designed and natural habitats.

Ramunas Stepanauskas will be part of an internationally leading research environment, which also includes professors Mads Albertsen and Per Halkjær Nielsen.

With Stepanauska's appointment, the department's research into identifying and understanding the microbes found in complex environments will be strengthened. Head of Department Kim Lambertsen Larsen sees the appointment as an important step for the department's continued development:

"At the Department of Chemistry and Biosciences, we have one of the world's strongest research environments when it comes to studying microbial communities. Ramunas Stepanauskas will be part of a research group at the forefront that are experts in identifying which microbes are present in an environment. Ramunas is an expert in the single-cell genomics method, which enables him to isolate a single cell, and this means that we will be working with a unique level of detail in our research."

Into the hidden world of the cell

Single-cell genomics is a groundbreaking approach in which Ramunas Stepanauskas investigates the genetic and molecular content of individual cells rather than large populations. The method makes it possible to uncover variations between individual microorganisms, which are often hidden in traditional analyses. Among other things, the technology provides insight into the genetic differences between microorganisms of the same species, connections between genomes and phenotypes of uncultivated microorganisms, and microbial interactions in situ, which provides unprecedented insight into the understanding of cellular functions and complex biological systems.

Ramunas Stepanauskas is looking forward to becoming part of the research environment at Aalborg University and is especially looking forward to bringing new methods for the study of microorganisms into play:

"I look forward to contributing with methods to analyse genomes and activities in individual cells and virus particles and thus strengthen our understanding of microbial life. At the same time, I hope that my role at AAU can help strengthen the research collaboration between the EU and the US – especially at a time when it is more important than ever."

Ramunas Stepanauskas will take up a part-time position at Aalborg University and at the same time continue his affiliation with the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in the United States. The combination of the two research environments is expected to strengthen international collaboration and create new opportunities for advanced research in microbiology and genomics.