Renowned award for RNA researcher

Dr Kathrin Fröhlich, junior research group leader at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and researcher in the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse",External link has been honoured with the prestigious Research Award of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM). The prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, recognizes her outstanding research on regulatory RNA molecules in bacteria. This helps to better understand how bacteria control their genes and adapt to changing conditions. The award ceremony will take place on 23 March 2025 as part of the VAAM Annual Meeting in Bochum.

RNA as the key to bacterial adaptation

Bacteria must constantly adapt to changing environmental conditions. Small RNA molecules play an important role in this process. They control which proteins are produced in the cell and thus influence central processes such as the growth of bacteria or their defence against antibiotics. Bacteria typically utilize many dozens of these regulatory RNAs, which do not produce proteins themselves but serve as switch points for gene regulation.

Microbiologist Dr Kathrin Fröhlich and her team have identified numerous of these regulatory RNAs and characteriszed their functions. She is conducting particularly intensive research into the RNA-controlled networks of the hospital germ Klebsiella pneumoniae, which is known for its pronounced resistance to antibiotics.

Research in an excellent scientific environment

In addition to her work as an academic counsellor and research group leader at the Institute of Microbiology at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Kathrin Fröhlich is also active as a researcher in the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse". Here, scientists are investigating the balance of microbial communities and their role for humans and the environment.

"I am delighted to receive this award, which also emphasizes the importance of our research in this field," says Fröhlich. "I find Friedrich Schiller University Jena an inspiring environment for this. The exchange with colleagues from different departments always gives me new impetus to look at the complex RNA-controlled mechanisms in bacteria from a new perspective."

In addition to her research work, Kathrin Fröhlich is also involved in academic teaching and the promotion of early career researchers. She has already supervised numerous theses and doctoral theses and uses her expertise to help train the next generation of microbiologists. She also brings her research closer to the public, for example through science communication activities in schools and kindergartens.

By being honoured by the VAAMExternal link, Fröhlich joins the list of outstanding researchers whose work has significantly shaped the understanding of microbial environments.