Max-Planck-Institut für Marine Mikrobiologie

The Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology (MPIMM) was founded in Bremen in 1992 and is one of the major German institutes that investigate the diversity and functions of marine microorganisms and their interactions with the marine environment. Microbiologists, molecular biologists and biogeochemists are working together to understand the basic principles of microbial ecology in the marine environment. Our focus is on the anaerobic (oxygen-free) world below the sediment surface. This is where many interesting and as yet unknown life forms exist that play a crucial role in the coupling of elemental cycles - and hence the chemistry of the oceans. Scientists at the Institute cover a wide range of disciplines and skills, from microsensors to microbiology, geochemistry to genomic analysis, and molecular ecology to mathematical modelling.