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31.07.2026 
Ciaran won a Margalith Galun Award at the 10th Symposium of the International Association for Lichenology in Trieste (IT). The Symposium is an international event for professional and amateur lichenologists active on a wide range of lichenological topics, spanning taxonomy, lichen-associated microorganisms, biodiversity and its conservation, biology and ecophysiology, environmental biomonitoring, and cultural heritage conservation. Congrats!

16.07.2026: Chen-Yu Kuan succesfully defended her PhD thesis entitled “Genome evolution in the plant-pathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae in the absence of apparent sexual reproduction”

30.04.2026: Press release on our Science Advances publication: Pilze nutzen uralte antimikrobielle Proteine, um Wirte und deren Mikrobiome anzugreifen. Link

29.04.2026: Publication of our manuscript entitled Plant-associated fungi co-opt ancient antimicrobials for host manipulation in the journal Science Advances.

15.04.2026: A Bond for Life: Animals and plants collaborate with their microbes in surprising ways. Our research featured in the Cologne University Magazine.

25.03.2026: Congratulations to Ciaran for winning a prize at the VAAM annual conference in Berlin!

16.03.2026: Publication of our manuscript entitled Differential contributions of an antimicrobial effector from Verticillium dahliae to virulence and tomato microbiota assembly across natural soils in the journal Microbiome.

09.03.2026 Anton Kraege defended his PhD thesis entitled Functional and Evolutionary Characterization of Antimicrobial Effectors Secreted by Verticillium dahliae to Shape Host Microbiota.

26.01.2026 Gabriella Petti defended her PhD thesis entitled Homologous antimicrobial proteins in plants and fungi: conserved mechanisms shaping the plant microbiota.

12.12.2025 Wilko Punt defended his PhD thesis entitled Functional Insights into Antimicrobial Effectors Driving Niche Adaptation of the Soil-Borne Plant Pathogenic Fungus Verticillium dahliae.

29.10.2025: Publication of our manuscript entitled Undermining the cry for help: the phytopathogenic fungus Verticillium dahliae secretes an antimicrobial effector protein to undermine host recruitment of antagonistic Pseudomonas bacteria in the journal New Phytologist.

05.09.2025: Publication of our review entitled Meddling with the microbiota: Fungal tricks to infect plant hosts in the journal Current Opinion in Plant Biology.

21.08.2025 Lab Outing: We went to the climbing forest in Brühl to challenge ourselves to new heights. 

29.07.2025: And How About You? Podcast with Bart Thomma about Freedom of Research at the University of Cologne – CEPLAS and the Fascination of Pushing Boundaries. 

24.07.2025: Publication of our manuscript entitled Starship giant transposons dominate plastic genomic regions in a fungal plant pathogen and drive virulence evolution in the journal Nature Communications.

15.05.2025 Drittes Forum Nachhaltigkeit

15.05.2025 Drittes Forum Nachhaltigkeit “Leitthema: Lebenswerte Zukünfte gestalten” wurde am 15.05.2025 an der Universität zu Köln abgehalten: Link
Professor Thomma nahm mit dem Thema:
„Herausforderungen von heute, Lösungen von morgen: Wie Pflanzen und Mikroben die Zukunft gestalten können" teil.

05.03.2026: Terrific MSc thesis defense by Zoe Prockl on her research carried out in Japan. Next stage will be her PhD research in the framework of MiBiNet in the Junior Group of Hanna Rövenich 

05.02.2025 Lebenswerte Zukünfte gestalten

27.08.2024 Lab Outing: Rafting on the river Rhine with brilliant weather and lots of laughs!

31.07.2023 Lab Outing: Canoeing on the river Sieg to strengthen our team-spirit. It was great fun!

20.07.2023: Publication of our review entitled Co-evolution within the plant holobiont drives host performance in the journal EMBO Reports. 

10.07.2023 Publication of our perspective entitled Battle of the bugs: how an oomycete pathogen shapes the microbiota of its host in the journal New Phytologist. 

29.11.2022 Publication of our manuscript entitled A highly polymorphic effector protein promotes fungal virulence through suppression of plant-associated Actinobacteria in the journal New Phytologist.

27.10.2022 Publication of our manuscript entitled Fungal dual-domain LysM effectors undergo chitin-induced intermolecular, and not intramolecular, dimerization in the journal Plant Physiology. 

02.09.2022 Publication of our review entitled Microbiota manipulation through the secretion of effector proteins is fundamental to the wealth of lifestyles in the fungal kingdom in the journal FEMS Microbiology Reviews. 

07.12.2021: Publication of our manuscript entitled An ancient antimicrobial protein co-opted by a fungal plant pathogen for in planta mycobiome manipulation in the journal Proceeding of the Academy of National Sciences of the USA. 

01.04.2021: Publication of our manuscript entitled Three LysM effectors of Zymoseptoria tritici collectively disarm chitin-triggered plant immunity in the journal Molecular Plant Pathology.

How do plants protect themselves against diseases?

Our soil is more than dark, crumbly earth. Countless microorganisms live in it. How they develop, reproduce and influence plants is crucial for agriculture. Bart Thomma researches microscopic soil fungi that attack plants as pests and cause diseases. But how can these fungi outsmart the plants' defense mechanisms?

Bart Thomma - An Introduction

AvH Thomma

This video was recently shot by the University of Cologne introducing Bart Thomma as Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Evolutionary Microbiology at the Universität zu Köln (and testing his abilities to speak german).

Press Release

Renowned biologist wins Alexander von Humboldt Professorship 2021 for the University of Cologne

Professor Bart Thomma will come to the UoC’s CEPLAS Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences with Germany’s most prestigious research prize.

With Professor Bart Thomma, the University of Cologne has the prospect of recruiting an international top researcher in the field of microbiology. With the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship 2021, the Dutch scientist has been granted Germany’s most highly endowed research award – five million euros will allow Thomma to develop his research in his first five years at the University of Cologne.

Learn more