Post by University of Bremen

We Welcome S. Emil Ruff to the Faculty of Biology / Chemistry Emil Ruff joined the university in the 2026 summer semester as a professor of molecular microbiology.  Microbiologist Emil Ruff investigates our planet’s hidden habitats, focusing primarily on microorganisms that live in extreme environments and the important role these play in the Earth’s element cycles. Central to his work are the carbon and oxygen cycles, both of which are significantly influenced by microbes and their metabolic activity. His research has taken him to some of the most extraordinary environments on Earth. He has studied methane seeps and hydrothermal sediments of the deep sea, ancient groundwater systems beneath the Canadian prairies, and water veins in one of South Africa’s deepest gold mines. His goal is to better understand the interactions between microbial communities and nature, deliberately selecting relatively simple ecosystems to study, so that the underlying processes become visible. In 2023, Ruff gained international attention with a discovery in deep groundwater. Together with his team, he found evidence that microorganisms are able to produce oxygen in the absence of light, a phenomenon now known as “dark oxygen.” These findings open new perspectives for understanding the deep biosphere and the development of complex life on Earth. At the University of Bremen, Ruff plans to focus his research more strongly on coastal zones. Central to this are the chemical fluxes and ecological interactions between coastal waters, marshland, and coastal groundwater. He aims to strengthen collaboration between the marine and terrestrial focus of research groups in Faculty 2. In collaboration with MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, he is working toward establishing Bremen as a premier site for research into dark oxygen production. After spending his formative years in southern Germany, Ruff came to Bremen for his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, where he developed his scientific interest in microbial communities and their role in global biochemical processes. Following a research stay at the University of Calgary, he moved to the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in 2018, where he has led his own research group ever since. Ruff’s research is supported by major international funders, including NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), and the Simons Foundation. In 2024, he was named a Kavli Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.