Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Biol. Dr. Holger Daims
Holger Daims
Palatinszky, M., Herbold, C. W., Sedlacek, C. J., Pühringer, D., Kitzinger, K., Giguere, A. T., Wasmund, K., Nielsen, P. H., Dueholm, M. K. D., Jehmlich, N., Gruseck, R., Legin, A., Kostan, J., Krasnici, N., Schreiner, C., Palmetzhofer, J., Hofmann, T., Zumstein, M., Djinović-Carugo, K., ... Wagner, M. (2024). Growth of complete ammonia oxidizers on guanidine. Nature, 633, 646-653. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07832-z


Glasl, B., Luter, H. M., Damjanovic, K., Kitzinger, K., Mueller, A. J., Mahler, L., Engelberts, J. P., Rix, L., Osvatic, J. T., Hausmann, B., Séneca, J., Daims, H., Pjevac, P., & Wagner, M. (2024). Co-occurring nitrifying symbiont lineages are vertically inherited and widespread in marine sponges. The ISME Journal, 18(1), Article wrae069. https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wrae069

Kop, L. F. M., Koch, H., Jetten, M. S. M., Daims, H., & Lücker, S. (2024). Metabolic and phylogenetic diversity in the phylum Nitrospinota revealed by comparative genome analyses. ISME Communications, 4(1), Article ycad017. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/ismeco/ycad017


Ni, G., Leung, P. M., Daebeler, A., Guo, J., Hu, S., Cook, P., Nicol, G. W., Daims, H., & Greening, C. (2023). Nitrification in acidic and alkaline environments. Essays in biochemistry, 67(4), 753-768. https://doi.org/10.1042/EBC20220194

Zhang, Y., Liu, T., Li, M.-M., Hua, Z.-S., Evans, P., Qu, Y., Tan, S., Zheng, M., Lu, H., Jiao, J.-Y., Lücker, S., Daims, H., Li, W.-J., & Guo, J. (2023). Hot spring distribution and survival mechanisms of thermophilic comammox Nitrospira. The ISME Journal, 17(7), 993-1003. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-023-01409-w


Kop, L. F. M., Koch, H., Spieck, E., van Alen, T., Cremers, G., Daims, H., & Lücker, S. (2023). Complete Genome Sequence of Nitrospina watsonii 347, Isolated from the Black Sea. Microbiology resource announcements, 12(4), Article e0007823. https://doi.org/10.1128/mra.00078-23

De La Fuente, M. J., De la Iglesia, P., Farias, L., Glasner, B., Torres-Rojas, F., Muñoz, D., Daims, H., Lukumbuzya, M., & Vargas, I. T. (2022). Enhanced nitrogen and carbon removal in natural seawater by electrochemical enrichment in a bioelectrochemical reactor. Journal of Environmental Management, 323, Article 116294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116294


Leung, P. M., Daebeler, A., Chiri, E., Hanchapola, I., Gillett, D. L., Schittenhelm, R. B., Daims, H., & Greening, C. (2022). A nitrite-oxidising bacterium constitutively consumes atmospheric hydrogen. The ISME Journal, 16(9), 2213-2219. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-022-01265-0

Jung, M.-Y., Sedlacek, C. J., Kits, K. D., Mueller, A. J., Rhee, S.-K., Hink, L., Nicol, G. W., Bayer, B., Lehtovirta-Morley, L., Wright, C., de la Torre, J. R., Herbold, C. W., Pjevac, P., Daims, H., & Wagner, M. (2022). Ammonia-oxidizing archaea possess a wide range of cellular ammonia affinities. ISME Journal, 16(1), 272-283. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01064-z


Gottshall, E. Y., Bryson, S. J., Cogert, K. I., Landreau, M., Sedlacek, C. J., Stahl, D. A., Daims, H., & Winkler, M. (2021). Sustained nitrogen loss in a symbiotic association of Comammox Nitrospira and Anammox bacteria. Water Research, 202, Article 117426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2021.117426


Mueller, A. J., Jung, M.-Y., Strachan, C., Herbold, C., Kirkegaard, R. H., Wagner, M., & Daims, H. (2021). Genomic and kinetic analysis of novel Nitrospinae enriched by cell sorting. ISME Journal, 15(3), 732-745. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-020-00809-6

Daebeler, A., Kitzinger, K., Koch, H., Herbold, C., Steinfeder, M., Schwarz, J., Zechmeister, T., Karst, S. M., Albertsen, M., Nielsen, P. H., Wagner, M., & Daims, H. (2020). Exploring the upper pH limits of nitrite oxidation: diversity, ecophysiology, and adaptive traits of haloalkalitolerant Nitrospira. ISME Journal, 14(12), 2967-2979. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-020-0724-1



Invited Speaker: University Duisburg-Essen

Holger Daims (Speaker)

14 May 2024

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Invited Speaker: New Zealand Microbial Society Conference 2023

Holger Daims (Speaker)

20 Nov 2023

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Lecture - ICoN-8 Conference

Holger Daims (Speaker)

29 Jul 20234 Aug 2023

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Invited Speaker: ICON 8, 2023

Petra Pjevac (Speaker), Andrew Giguere (Speaker), Daan Speth (Speaker), Nicole Geerlings (Speaker) & Holger Daims (Speaker)

23 Jul 20233 Aug 2023

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Chemical imaging tools for studying in situ microbial physiology

Holger Daims (Speaker)

9 Dec 2022

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Chemical imaging tools for studying in situ microbial physiology.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

9 Dec 2022

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Invited Speaker: IWA 2022

Holger Daims (Speaker)

25 May 2022

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Invited Speaker: Rudjer Boskovic Institute

Holger Daims (Speaker)

4 Mar 2022

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Invited Speaker: JAMS 10th Annualr Symposium

Holger Daims (Speaker)

23 Aug 202124 Aug 2021

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Nitrification: A Bag Full of Surprises!

Anna Julia Mueller (Speaker) & Holger Daims (Speaker)

8 Oct 2019

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Stickstoff-Eliminierung in der Abwasserreinigung: Überraschungen aus der Mikrobiologie.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

4 Sept 2019

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Metabolic versatility, complete ammonia oxidizers, And more: A new perspective on the nitrifying microorganisms.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

9 Jul 2019

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


A new picture of major players in the nitrogen cycle: Genome resolved metagenomics as the key to surprising discoveries.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

18 Mar 2019

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Metabolic versatility, complete ammonia oxidizers, and more: A new perspective on the nitrifying microorganisms

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

5 Nov 2018

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Nitric oxide and nitrous oxide production by complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox)

Holger Daims (Speaker)

19 Sept 201821 Sept 2018

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Stickstoffkreisläufe in der Abwasserreinigung – neue und bewährte Wege

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

27 Feb 2018

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Sleep, stress and the Black Queen: Microbial hidden activities and cooperation

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

7 Sept 2017

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionScience to Science


Complete nitrification by one organism: The discovery and characterization of comammox.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

12 Oct 2016

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Microcolony mini-metagenomics of active nitrifiers.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

11 Oct 2016

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Complete nitrification by one organism: The discovery and characterization of comammox.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

21 Aug 201626 Aug 2016

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Roundtable lecturer on the topic “Ecology-based engineering of natural microbial communities: Nitrification as an example”

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

21 Aug 201626 Aug 2016

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Complete nitrification by one organism: The discovery and characterization of comammox.

Holger Daims (Keynote speaker)

16 Jun 201620 Jun 2016

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Repainting our picture of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

14 Jan 2016

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Flexible friends or foes: Recent insights add fresh paint to our picture of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

28 Jun 20151 Jul 2015

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Raman-based sorting of microbes with defined functional properties for single-cell genomics

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

14 Jun 201518 Jun 2015

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Cyanate: A novel substrate for nitrification by ammonia-oxidizing archaea and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

10 Sept 201412 Sept 2014

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Tales of partnership and crime: Interactions of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

24 Aug 201429 Aug 2014

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Surprising versatility and multiple roots: News on the ecophysiology and evolution of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

17 May 201420 May 2014

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Picking them one by one: Raman-based sorting and single-microcolony genomics of uncultured microdiverse nitrifiers in activated sludge flocs.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

11 May 201413 May 2014

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Surprising versatility and multiple roots: News on the ecophysiology and evolution of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

11 Apr 2014

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Diversity, ecophysiology, and evolution of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria: A glimpse into a bag of surprises

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

4 Sept 2013

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecophysiology and evolution of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria: News on the 'Big Unknown' of the nitrogen cycle

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

11 Jul 2013

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Surprising diversity and unexpected functions: Features of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria revealed by "Omics" and in situ tools

Holger Daims (Keynote speaker)

8 Jul 2013

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecophysiology and evolution of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria: News on the 'Big Unknown' of the nitrogen cycle

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

17 Jun 2013

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Nitrospira for lunch: A novel microbial predator hunts for nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge

Holger Daims (Speaker)

21 Jan 2013

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Molecular biology and interactions of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria: A glance on the second step of nitrification

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

14 Jan 2013

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Nitrification: Ammonia- and Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

23 Oct 2012

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Click chemistry: A new approach for single cell microbial ecology

Holger Daims (Speaker)

23 Aug 2012

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Microbial molecular ecology of nitrification

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

20 Jun 2012

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecophysiology and evolution of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria: News on the Big Unknown of the N-cycle

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

26 Mar 201229 Mar 2012

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Nitrification expanded: Discovery, physiology, and genomics of a Gram-positive, thermotolerant, and lithoautotrophic nitrite oxidizer.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

3 Jul 20117 Jul 2011

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Digital image analysis of microorganisms: From counting to stereology.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

14 Jun 201124 Jun 2011

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecophysiology and genomics of key nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

18 Apr 201120 Apr 2011

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Novel insights into the ecophysiology and evolution of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

30 Nov 2010

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Metagenomics illuminate the ecophysiology and evolution of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

8 Nov 2010

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Nitrification: Physiology, niche differentiation, and interactions of key players.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

5 Oct 20108 Oct 2010

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Quantitative FISH and new variations of (F)ISH

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

22 Aug 201027 Aug 2010

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Genomics and functional analyses of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

26 May 2010

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


How to apply genomics info to predict the ecological role of nitrifiers.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

11 Apr 201014 Apr 2010

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecophysiology and genomics of nitrifying microbes in natural and engineered systems

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

8 Mar 2010

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


A Useful Model System for Microbial Ecology. : A Useful Model System for Microbial Ecology.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

9 Dec 200910 Dec 2009

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Single cell tools to investigate microbial physiology : Single cell tools to investigate microbial physiology

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

15 Nov 200919 Nov 2009

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Insights from in situ tools and environmental genomics. : Insights from in situ tools and environmental genomics.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

7 Sept 200910 Sept 2009

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


In situ diversity and niche adaptations of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. : In situ diversity and niche adaptations of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

1 Jul 200910 Jul 2009

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther









Structure-function analysis of microbial biofilms.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

20 Sept 2007

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Molecular biological tools for analyzing structure-function relationships in mixed microbial environments.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

22 Mar 2007

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Enigmatic uncultured bacteria in nature and biotechnology.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

25 Jan 2007

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecology and genomics of key nitrite oxidizers active in natural and engineered habitats.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

20 Aug 200625 Aug 2006

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Genomics, ecophysiology and interactions of yet uncultured nitrifying bacteria

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

3 Jul 20066 Jul 2006

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


"Nitrification and Anammox" and "Environmental Genomics"

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

17 May 2006

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


"Who you are and what you do": FISH and related methods for characterizing complex microbial communities.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

23 Mar 2006

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Biodiversity and ecophysiology of N-cycle bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

9 Mar 200610 Mar 2006

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


The Use of FISH, digital image analysis, and MAR techniques to analyze structure and physiology of biofilm communities.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

25 Oct 2005

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther



Ecophysiology and genomics of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria important for wastewater treatment.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

21 Aug 200524 Aug 2005

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecophysiology and niche differentiation of Nitrospira-like bacteria, the key nitrite oxidizers in wastewater treatment plants.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

17 Jul 200520 Jul 2005

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


From biodiversity to environmental genomics: Microbiology of nitrite-oxidizing Nitrospira-like bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

11 Mar 2005

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Biodiversity and ecophysiology of Nitrospira-like bacteria

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

11 Jan 2005

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


16S rRNA to environmental genomics: microbiology of Nitrospira-like bacteria.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

1 Nov 2004

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecophysiology and environmental genomics of yet uncultured nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

22 Aug 200427 Aug 2004

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Ecology and genomics of uncultured autotrophic nitrite-oxidizers and anaerobic ammonium oxidizers.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

1 Aug 20046 Aug 2004

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Diversity, Ecophysiology, and Genomics of uncultured Nitrospira-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

22 Mar 2004

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Microbial Structure and Community Structure of Flocs.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

5 Sept 2003

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther



Population structure and functional analyses, by in situ techniques, of nitrifying bacteria in wastewater treatment plants.

Holger Daims (Invited speaker)

6 May 2002

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther



Yet unculturable bacteria as major players for nutrient removal in waste water treatment.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

3 Sept 20008 Sept 2000

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Nitrification in sequencing biofilm batch reactors: lessons from molecular approaches.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

10 Jul 200012 Jul 2000

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


The biology of Nitrospira-like bacteria in wastewater treatment plants: from structure to function.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

12 Mar 200016 Mar 2000

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Novel Nitrospira-like bacteria as dominant nitrite-oxidizers in biofilms from wastewater treatment plants: diversity and in situ physiology.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

17 Oct 199920 Oct 1999

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Nitrospira-like bacteria play a key role in nitrifying biofilms.

Holger Daims (Speaker)

7 Mar 199910 Mar 1999

Activity: Talks and presentationsTalk or oral contributionOther


Department of Analytical Chemistry

Währinger Straße 38
1090 Wien

T: +43-1-4277-91204

holger.daims@univie.ac.at