Dirk Tischler (1982) studied Applied Natural Science at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany) and completed his doctoral studies on styrene monooxygenases under supervision of Prof. Michael Schlömann in 2012. He continued as junior group leader in the field of Industrial Biotechnology with emphasis on the prediction of novel biocatalysts and pathways from (meta)genome of soil bacteria. In January 2018 he became Junior Professor for Microbial Biotechnology and turned in 2019 to University Professor for Microbial Biotechnology (MBT) at the Ruhr University Bochum. He focuses on the identification and application of novel biocatalysts, mostly related to redox biochemistry.

Key expertise

The MBT team is interdisciplinary working to describe novel biocatalysts: from gene to product. It combines versatile methods from disciplines as microbiology, molecular biology, bio-/chemistry and biocatalysis. Typically we employ (meta)genome mining and phylogeny to reveal novel potent biocatalysts (enzymes or pathways), describe them from a sequence-function point of view. To uncover mechanism, stability and applicability we perform biochemistry studies, directed evolution and rational design as well as scall-up experiments. In this frame also enzyme immobilization or whole-cell biocatalysis are explored.

Research facilities include laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for research in fundamental and applied biocatalysis. This includes know-how and equipment for molecular biology with S1/S2-safety (PCR, cloning, mutagenesis), shakers and fermenters (up to 10L) for growth studies, protein purification (various FPLC systems), organic synthesis and product recovery, analysis (UV/Vis-Flu -plate reader and -spectrophotometer, GC, GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS), access to facilities for NMR and MSxMS, molecular modeling (MD, Yasara, alphafold), enzyme reactors (SpinChem), and a double mixing stopped-flow system for rapid kinetics.

Hosting Institution

Founded in the early sixties of the last century to address the challenges of structural change in the region, the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) has developed into one of Germany’s largest research universities (over 41,000 students). It hosts the full spectrum of academic disciplines on its campus – the humanities and social sciences, the natural sciences and medicine as well as engineering. Collaborative research across traditional disciplinary boundaries, a university-wide Research School for early career researchers and knowledge networks at the local, regional, and international level highlight RUB’s distinct institutional research profile. Researchers at our Faculty perform interdisciplinary research in all fields of biology from a fundamental as well as from an applied point of view. Cross-discipline cooperations provide an exciting and inspiring environment which is complemented by state-of-the-art infrastructure such as mass spectrometry facility, imaging facility, the center for protein diagnostics and the center for system-based antibiotic research among other initiatives.

https://www.mbt.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/index.html.en

Contact

dirk.tischler@rub.de
https://www.mbt.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/index.html.en
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-tischler-2a1b9774/
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=29167596600
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6288-2403
https://twitter.com/TischlerLab
https://twitter.com/dirktischler

Relevant Publications