User:Sjkrause/sandbox

Rudolf K. Thauer
Rudolf K. Thauer, Ph.D, (Born October 5th, 1939) is currently an Emeritus Professor at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology. His research has a focus on anaerobic bacteria and archaea such as Clostridia, sulfate reducing bacteria, and methane producing and consuming bacteria and archaea which seeks answers towards their biochemistry, physiology, and how they behave in the [null environment] [null .] He is known for, along with students and colleagues, in the laboratory discovering the composition of enzymes and coenzymes responsible for many anaerobic and aerobic microbial metabolisms that are responsible for many biogeochemical processes that are observed in the environment.

Education and Career
Dr. Thauer received his doctoral degree in biochemistry in 1968 at the University of Freiberg in Germany. From 1971 to 1972 he became an Assistant professor in biochemistry at the University of Freiberg. He then became an Associate professor in plant biochemistry at the Ruhn University of Bochum, Germany from 1972 till 1976. From 1976 till 2005 was a full professor of microbiology at the University of Marburg, in Germany. In 1991 he became a founding director of the Max Planck Institute of Terrestrial Microbiology. Since 2008 he has been Emeritus professor at the Max Planck Institute of Terrestrial Microbiology.

Important Works
The work that Dr. Thauer, his colleagues, and students have made huge contributions towards the understanding of metabolisms, enzymes, and coenzymes of many microbial communities in terrestrial and aquatic environments.

During his doctoral research he studied the biochemistry and energetics of Clostridium metabolism which is obligate anaerobic microbe that can be found in the environment.

He and his students at the University of Marburg and at the Max Planck Institute of Terrestrial Microbiology were heavily influential on the microbial activity of the cycling of methane in the environment. A study from his lab discovered that the Methyl-Coenzyme M combined with the Methyl-Coenzyme M reductase, found in all methanogenic organisms, are responsible for the production of methane in aquatic sediments. Additionally, discovered that the F430 coenzyme within the Methyl-Coenzyme M complex has a nickel cofactor that changes redox potential for catabolism. Later found that the same nickel-based enzyme, that is found in methanogens, also is found in archaea that mediate anaerobic oxidation of methane.

He and colleagues also found out that anaerobic sulfate reducing bacteria species of Desulfovibrio can grow on hydrogen as the sole electron donor and sulfate as an electron acceptor. In addition, determined rates of sulfate reduction in with hydrogen and other oxygenated species of sulfur in Desulfovibrio .

There are nearly 400 other published authorships and co-authorships from Dr. Thauer's working group that have distinguished and characterized many more important enzymes and coenzymes in a laboratory setting of anaerobic microbes which has furthered out understanding of these organisms in the environment.

Awards and Memberships
Dr. Thauer, for his numerous publications, mentorship of doctoral students, post-doctoral researchers, and undergraduate students, has won several awards and Fellowships. From the German research foundation, he was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in 1987. He was also awarded Carl Friedrich Gauß Medal, Scientific Society of Braunschweig in 2008. Additionally, he has received honorary doctorates from the ETH Zurich and University of Waterloo in 2001 and 2007 respectively. Since 1984 he has been in the German National Academy of Science Lepoldina. Furthermore, he is part of both the European and American Academy of Microbiology in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Dr. Thauer has also had the pleasure of having new microbial species named after him. In 1993 a discovered species of Beta-Proteobacteria was named Thauera. And in 2000 a discovered species of Methanobrevibacter was named Methanobrevibacter thaueri.