Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gabriele Berg
Department: Microbiome Biotechnology
Research program
Research areas
Microbiome research and management
Affiliations
Department of Microbiome Biotechnology (Head)
Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB),
& University of Potsdam, Potsdam, GERMANY
Institute of Environmental Biotechnology (Head)
Graz University of Technology, Graz, AUSTRIA
Committees and boards
International Verticillium Steering Committee (2001 -)
Head of the Working Group “Biological control of diseases”, DPG (2004 - 2012)
ÖGMBT Management Board (2009 - 2014)
Senat of TU Graz (2009 -)
Steering committee BioTechMed Graz (2017 -)
Steering committee FoE Human & Biotechnology - TU Graz
Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (2014 – 2015)
Austrian Center of Industrial Biotechnology GmbH (2015 – 2019)
Scientific Advisory Board EU Projects: BIOFECTOR EU (2013 - 2017); LIVESEED (2017 – 2020)
Scientific Advisory Board: Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ)
- ERC-Evaluatorin (2022 -)
- Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Forschungsstelle für gartenbauliche Kulturpflanzen, Fachhochschule Erfurt (2023)
- International Society for Microbial Ecology - Vize President (2024 -)
- Stiftung Kunst und Natur (2024)
Awards
- Ehrenzeichen des Landes Steiermark für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst (2022)
- Forschungspreis des Landes Steiermark (2021)
- Highly Cited Researcher (Web of Science Group) - in den Jahren 2018-20 unter den 1% der Top Wissenschaftler*innen weltweit (nach Clarivate Analytics)
- BioTechMed Best Paper Award (2020)
- Frontiers Spotlight Award 2nd (2017)
- Fast Forward Award Styria (2016)
- ÖGUT Umweltpreis (2011)
- Science2Business Award Austria (2011)
- Business award „Rostocker Kreis“ (2005)
- Heisenberg Fellowship of the DFG (2003)
Publications
- Förster, A.; Michl, K.; Berg, G.; Cernava, T.; Emmerling, C. (2025): Decomposition of Litter and Root Residues From Perennial Intermediate Wheatgrass Governed by the Soil Microbiome and Different Earthworm Species. Journal of sustainable agriculture and environment. (2): p. 1-13. Online: https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70068
- Lobato, C.; Abdelfattah, A.; Berg, G.; Cernava, T. (2025): Defining the cultured and uncultured bacterial fractions in Cannabis seeds. Environmental Microbiome. : p. 1-13. Online: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00731-4
- Ramakrishnan, D.; Wassermann, B.; Berg, C.; Abdelfattah, A.; Berg, G. (2025): Mosses as extraordinary reservoir of microbial diversity: a comparative analysing of co-occurring ‘plant-moss twins’ in natural alpine ecosystem. Environmental Microbiome. (61): p. 1-13. Online: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00728-z
- Olimi, E.; Duller, M.; Stangl, M.; Bickel, S.; Battisti, A.; Kusstatscher, P.; Wicaksono, W.; Abdelfattah, A.; Cernava, T.; Berg, G. (2025): Plant microbiome responses to bioinoculants and volatiles. Environmental Microbiome. : p. 55. Online: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00715-4
- Kiplimo Gunia, D.; Mwirichia, R.; Wicaksono, W.; Berg, G.; Abdelfattah, A. (2025): Intrinsic and Acquired Antimicrobial Resistomes in Plant Microbiomes: Implications for Agriculture and Public Health. Journal of sustainable agriculture and environment. (1): p. 1-21. Online: https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.70049
- Schweitzer, M.; Wassermann, B.; Abdelfattah, A.; Cernava, T.; Berg, G. (2025): Microbiome Literacy: Enhancing Public and Academic Understanding Through the ‘Microbiome & Health’ Online Course. Microbial Biotechnology. (70094): p. 1-6. Online: https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.70094
- Su, P.; Kang, H.; Peng, Q.; Wicaksono, W.; Berg, G.; Liu, Z.; Ma, J.; Zhang, D.; Cernava, T.; Liu, Y. (2024): Microbiome homeostasis on rice leaves is regulated by a precursor molecule of lignin biosynthesis. nature communications. (23): p. 1-16. Online: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44335-3
- Schweitzer, M.; Wlasak, M.; Wassermann, B.; Marcher, F.; Poglitsch, C.; Pirker, J.; Berg, G. (2024): Tiny Biome Tales: A gamified review about the influenceof lifestyle choices on the human microbiome. Microbial Biotechnology. (e14544): p. 1-14. Online: https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.14544
- Fan, X.; Matsumoto, H.; Xu, H.; Fang, H.; Pan, Q.; Lv, T.; Zhan, C.; Feng, X.; Liu, X.; Su, D.; Fan, M.; Ma, Z.; Berg, G.; Li, S.; Cernava, T.; Wang, M. (2024): Aspergillus cvjetkovicii protects against phytopathogens through interspecies chemical signalling in the phyllosphere. BMC Microbiology. (November 2024): p. 2862-2876. Online: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01781-z
- Wicaksono, W.; Akinyemi, O.; Wassermann, B.; Bickel, S.; Suwanto, A.; Berg, G. (2024): The terroir of Tempeh: Strong region-specific signatures in the bacterial community structures across Indonesia. Current Research in Microbial Sciences. (e100287): p. 1-9. Online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crmicr.2024.100287
Weitere Veröffentlichungen
Berg, G., Rybakova, D., Fischer, D. et al. Microbiome definition re-visited: old concepts and new challenges. Microbiome 8, 103 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-020-00875-0
Zum Nachhören & -lesen:
What is a microbiome? (TU Graz, 2019):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K7FavVORLoTalking about ... the microbiome and pandemics (TU Graz, 2020):
https://www.tugraz.at/tu-graz/services/news-stories/talking-about/einzelansicht/article/den-ursprung-von-pandemien-im-mikrobiom/
"Mikrobiomforschung ist mein Leben" (APA-Science, 2020):
https://science.apa.at/power-search/6142539166532501377Mikrobiomforschung – ein neuer Schlüssel zur Gesundheit? (2020):
https://montagsakademie.uni-graz.at/de/neuigkeiten/detail/article/vortrag-mikrobiomforschung-ein-neuer-schluessel-zur-gesundheit/
Curriculum Vitae
Education
2001 Habilitation and Venia legendi (Microbiology), University of Rostock
1995 Dissertation, Dr. rer. nat. (Microbiology, Phytomedicine), University of Rostock
1986 - 1987 Research grant Microbiology/Biotechnology at University of Greifswald
1981 - 1986 Study of biology at the University of Rostock
1969 - 1981 Elementary school and Helmholtz-Gymnasium Potsdam in Potsdam
Career
2021 - Joint appointment Head of the Department Bioengineering at ATB and
Professor for Plant Microbiome Management at University of Potsdam
2005 - University Professor for Environmental Biotechnology at the TU Graz
2003 - 2005 Heisenberg Fellow of the German Research Foundation
1996 - 2003 Assistant and senior assistant in microbiology at the University of Rostock
1991 - 1995 Biotechnology, Plant Sciences, University of Rostock
1989 - 1991 Plant-associated microorganisms, Plant Physiology, University of Rostock
1986 - 1989 Biotechnologically relevant fungi, Microbiology, University of Greifswald