Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Liebl
Academic Career and Research Areas
Prof. Liebl (b. 1959) investigates various aspects of applied microbiology, with particular interest in the enzymology of polysaccharide degradation as well as the analysis of the genomes and metagenomes of micro-organisms that have adapted to extreme conditions (especially extreme temperatures and pH values). In other research projects, he explores physiology and gene regulation in biotechnologically relevant bacteria like different Bacillus species, Gluconobacter oxydans, and solventogenic Clostridia, and furthermore the biosynthesis of hydrocarbons and natural gene transfer in high-GC Gram-positive bacteria like Micrococcus luteus.
Prof. Liebl studied biology (majoring in microbiology) at TUM and received his doctorate in 1986. A German Research Foundation (DFG) grant enabled him to work at MIT in the group of Prof. A.J. Sinskey (1986-87). After completing his postdoctoral teaching qualification at TUM (1997), he was professor of Genomic and Applied Microbiology at the University of Göttingen until 2008. While in Göttingen, he also served as Dean of the Faculty of Biology (2002-03) and as a member of the Senate (2007-08). He declined an offer for full professorship at TU Graz (2003). Since 2008, he has been full professor of microbiology at TUM.
Key Publications
Schöllkopf AI, Ehrenreich A, Liebl W: “SMC-like Wadjet system prevents plasmid transfer into Clostridium cellulovorans”. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2025; 109:170.
AbstractJarzab A, Kurzawa N, Hopf T, Moerch M, Zecha J, Leijten N, Musiol E, Maschberger M, Stoehr G, Daly C, Schmidt T, Mergner J, Spanier B, Angelov A, Werner T, Bantscheff M, Wilhelm M, Klingenspor M, Lemeer S, Liebl W, Hahne H, Savitski MM, Kuster B: “Meltome Atlas – thermal proteome stability across the tree of life”. Nature Methods. 2020; 17(5): 495-503.
AbstractAngelov A, Bergen P, Nadler F, Hornburg P, Lichev A, Übelacker M, Pachl F, Küster B, Liebl W: “Novel Flp pilus biogenesis-dependent natural transformation”. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2015; 6: 84.
AbstractFütterer O, Angelov A, Liesegang H, Gottschalk G, Schleper C, Schepers B, Dock C, Antranikian G, Liebl W: “Genome sequence of Picrophilus torridus and its implications for life around pH 0”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. 2004; 101: 9091-9096.
AbstractSterner R, Liebl W: “Thermophilic adaptation of proteins”. Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2001; 36: 39-106.
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