During her PhD studies, Marie Rønne Aggerbeck investigated how microbes and pollutants interact with ecosystems, using cutting-edge methods to bridge microbiology and analytical chemistry. Her research explored how ecosystem change, such as differences in molecular compound diversity, influences microbial communities, with studies ranging from Arctic tundra ecosystems, where muskoxen shape soil microbes, to wastewater treatment plants, where biological and chemical data reveal the diversity of microbial species and chemical compounds in treated wastewater.

By integrating diverse datasets, Marie Rønne Aggerbeck has optimised methods for analyzing environmental samples. Her findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between pollutants and ecosystems, providing tools to safeguard environmental health.

The PhD study was completed at Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, January 24th 2025 at 10:00
Place: Building 150, room A1.20 (The Old Canteen), Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399D, 4000 Roskilde
Title of PhD thesis: Ecosystem monitoring using multi-omic screening methods
Contact information: Marie Rønne Aggerbeck, e-mail: mrag@envs.au.dk, tel.: +45 22448121
Members of the assessment committee:
Head of Department, PhD, Erik J. Joner, Division of Environment and Natural Resources, NIBIO, Norway
Associate Professor, PhD, Ditte Andreasen Søborg, Research Centre for Built Environment, Climate,
Water Technology and Digitalisation, VIA University College, Denmark
Associate Professor Rumakanta Sapkota, Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University (chair)
Main supervisor:
Senior Researcher Anders Johansen, Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor:
Professor Lars Hestbjerg Hansen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Associate Professor Martin Hansen, Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Associate Professor Lea Ellegaard-Jensen, Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.