In this bioseminar, I will present my research on the deep-sea sponge Geodia barretti. Sponges are not only a prolific source of novel natural products, they are also among the earliest emerging animals! In these animals, I have investigated the effect of environmental changes, microbial communities and population genetic differences to understand what affects their production of natural products.

Generally speaking, pharmacognosy investigates drugs from nature. Typically, investigations start with selecting an organism of interest, followed by extraction and isolation of natural products, their structure elucidation and bioassays. However, my research takes “one step back” and rather investigates factors affecting the production of natural products in this well-recognized study system.

This talk will give you a broad overview over my doctoral research which I will defend on February 11, 2022. Feel free to provide me with feedback on this talk and ask questions so that I can prepare and improve ahead of my defense.