Staff Profile
Dr Sven Lahme
Research Associate
- Email: sven.lahme@ncl.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 6011
- Address: Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
Devonshire Building (3rd floor)
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
UK
Background
Education
- 2010-2013 PhD candidate General and Molecular
Microbiology Group of Prof. Ralf Rabus, ICBM
Oldenburg (Germany) and Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen (Germany)
PhD thesis title: “Physiological and Molecular Investigation of the Anaerobic 4-Methylbenzoate and Benzoate Degradation in Magnetospirillum sp. Strain pMbN1“
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
2004-2009 Studies in biology at University of Bremen (Topics: Microbiology, cell biology and biochemistry)
Diploma thesis title: “Cultivation of the Denitrifying Bacterium “Aromatoleum aromaticum“ strain EbN1 in Anoxic Chemostats: Acetate-limited Growth and the Induction of Benzoate Utilization“
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Friedrich Widdel and Prof. Dr. Ralf Rabus
Previous projects and appointments
- Since 2018 Research Associate, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
- 2016-2018 Marie Curie Early Career Research Fellow, Geomicrobiology Group, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
- 2014-2016 Research Associate, Geomicrobiology Group, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
- 2010-2013 Research assistant, ICBM Oldenburg (Germany) and Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen (Germany), DFG priority project 1319 “Biological transformations of hydrocarbons without oxygen: from the molecular to the global scale“
- 2007-2009 Student assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen
Memberships
German Association for General and Applied Microbiology - VAAM
Society of Applied Microbiology - SfAM
Area of Expertise
Microbiologically-influenced corrosion and microbial genomics
Research
Understanding microbial redox processes and their impact in subsurface environments and industrial settings.
As a microbiologist, my research focuses on microbial redox processes of inorganic and organic compounds and their effect on geological and man-made environments. Understanding the molecular basis of microorganisms in these systems will help us to improve existing, and develop novel mitigation, bioengineering and bioenergy strategies to help overcome energy challenges in the future.
In order to gain insights into the complex biogeochemical interactions, I use an interdisciplinary approach including state-of-the-art methods in microbial genomics, analytical chemistry and electrochemistry. These techniques are applied to pure cultures, synthetic microbial communities and microbial enrichment cultures in an attempt to deconstruct and reconstruct complex microbial communities.
In this regard, my research interests encompass the following topics:
- Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC)
- Souring and souring mitigation strategies
- Microbial redox processes: S and N cycles
- Microbial mineral interactions
- Anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation
- Microbial metabolism: Physiology, genomic, gene expression and regulation
Publications
- Lahme S, Trautwein K, Strijkstra A, Dörries M, Wöhlbrand L, Rabus R. Benzoate mediates the simultaneous repression of anaerobic 4-methylbenzoate and succinate utilization in Magnetospirillum sp. strain pMbN1. BMC Microbiology 2014, 14, 14.
- Lahme S, Eberlein C, Jarling R, Kube M, Boll M, Wilkes H, Reinhardt R, Rabus R. Anaerobic degradation of 4-methylbenzoate via a specific 4-methylbenzoyl-CoA pathway. Environmental Microbiology 2012, 14(5), 1118-1132.
- Lahme S, Harder J, Rabus R. Anaerobic degradation of 4-methylbenzoate by a newly isolated denitrifying bacterium, strain pMbN1. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2012, 78(5), 1606-1610.
- Trautwein K, Lahme S, Wöhlbrand L, Feenders C, Mangelsdorf K, Harder J, Steinbüchel A, Blasius B, Reinhardt R, Rabus R. Physiological and proteomic adaptation of "Aromatoleum aromaticum" EbN1 to low growth rates in benzoate-limited, anoxic chemostats. Journal of Bacteriology 2012, 194(9), 2165-2180.
- Jarling R, Sadeghi M, Drozdowska M, Lahme S, Buckel W, Rabus R, Widdel F, Golding BT, Wilkes H. Stereochemical Investigations Reveal the Mechanism of the Bacterial Activation of n-Alkanes without Oxygen. Angewandte Chemie: International Edition 2012, 51(6), 1334-1338.
- Rabus R, Jarling R, Lahme S, Kühner S, Heider J, Widdel F, Wilkes H. Co-metabolic conversion of toluene in anaerobic n-alkane-degrading bacteria. Environmental Microbiology 2011, 13(9), 2576-2586.
- Lahme A, Hubert C. Corrosion Risks Associated with (Bio)chemical Processes in Sour Systems Due to Nitrate Injection or Oxygen Ingress. In: Torben Lund Skovhus, Dennis Enning, Jason S. Lee, ed. Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion in the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry. CRC Press, 2017, pp.532.
- Lahme S, Enning D, Callbeck CM, Menendez Vega D, Curtis TP, Head IM, Hubert CRJ. Metabolites of an Oil Field Sulfide-Oxidizing Nitrate-Reducing Sulfurimonas sp. Cause Severe Corrosion. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2018, 85(3), e01891-18.