RTG 2530-Short PortraitsWelcome to the team, Luisa Listmann!

6 June 2025, by RTG 2530

Photo: UHH/RTG2530/Malzahn

We are delighted to welcome Luisa Listmann as a new Principal Investigator to the RTG 2530 team. To introduce her briefly, we have asked her three questions.

1. What is the main focus of your research, and what are the overarching topics, questions or objectives?

In my research, I have been working with phytoplankton since my studies, and later, during my time as a postdoc, viruses were added. We already know a lot about the diseases that viruses can cause, but the ecological role of viruses has only been studied for about 20 years. Yet viruses are everywhere as part of the ecosystem, and, as things stand today, they can infect any known organism. I aim to learn more about the influence that viruses have on phytoplankton - and therefore also on the ecosystem.

2. What made you decide in favour of this field of research? What fascinates you about it, and what do you see as the biggest challenge?

I have always been fascinated by the sea as a habitat. Even on my first trip to Corsica as a child, the spark was lit, and I wanted to become a marine biologist. I was particularly fond of phytoplankton, as it is the basis of everything. It is an important part of the food chain and responsible for around 50 per cent of the oxygen supply on our planet. Nevertheless, we still know very little about these unicellular organisms - for example, how they react to the influence of viruses. That makes me curious, and I’m excited to learn more about it. The challenge here is to make the effects of viruses on phytoplankton measurable, as this form of virus experimentation is still a very young and developing field. It is only in recent years that methods have been developed to visualise viruses directly in their natural habitat.

3. What are your expectations of the collaboration in the Research Training Group 2530, and is there anything you are particularly looking forward to?

What I appreciate about RTG 2530 is that many disciplines and ideas come together in one project, and that the research relates to the Elbe - an area close to us as residents of this city. I am looking forward to working together and learning more about this ecological system from different perspectives. I also think that training young scientists is a great thing. I am looking forward to passing on my own knowledge and supporting scientists as they develop into experts in their fields of research.