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Dr. Janina Groninga

Gruppe:	Organische Geochemie
Telefon:	+49 421 218-65740
E-Mail:	[Bitte aktivieren Sie Javascript]
Raum:	MARUM I, 2690
Anschrift:	Universität Bremen MARUM – Zentrum für Marine Umweltwissenschaften Leobener Str. 8 D-28359 Bremen
Externe Profile:	OrcID

Research Interests

I am an organic geochemist with a strong interest in exploring the diversity and function of the lipidome to understand how microorganisms interact with their environment. My research focuses on untargeted analytical approaches to capture the rich, complex lipid signatures of microbial communities, particularly those inhabiting extreme environments such as hydrothermal sediments, geysers, and deep subsurface aquifers. I am fascinated by how microbes adapt to challenging conditions and how their adaptive strategies are reflected in membrane lipids and associated metabolites.

Main Analytical Techniques

• Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Trapped Ion Mobility Spectrometry Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC–TIMS–TOF–MS)
• Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC–QTOF–MS)
• Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (MALDI–FT–ICR–MS)
• Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS)
• Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis using Gas Chromatography–Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (GC–IRMS)

Research Project: Archean Park

In this project, we investigate microbial communities thriving in CO₂-enriched subsurface systems to uncover ancient and highly efficient modes of carbon fixation that may have been overlooked so far. By analyzing how extreme CO₂ levels affect core metabolism, the study aims to identify novel or altered carbon pathways and understand their importance for early life and global carbon cycling during a time when CO₂ levels were much higher than today. High-CO₂ settings, such as volcanic outgassing sites, provide a rare chance to study ancestral biochemical processes that played a significant role in Earth’s earliest carbon cycle. I will contribute comprehensive lipidomic and metabolomic analyses, along with stable carbon isotope measurements, to reveal new metabolic strategies in autotrophic, carbon-fixing microorganisms that flourish under elevated CO₂ conditions.

Cur­ri­cu­lum Vi­tae

Since Mar. 2025	Postdoctoral Researcher at MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences
Jan. 2022 - Mar. 2025	Ph.D. at MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences
Oct. 2019 - Dec. 2021	M. Sc. Marine Geosciences; University of Bremen
Oct. 2016 - Oct. 2019	B. Sc. Geowissenschaften; University of Bremen

Publications

2026	Groninga, J., Wittig, L., Bouderka, F., Bornemann, T.L., Lipp, J.S., Keden, S., Probst, A.J. and Hinrichs, K.U., 2026. Novel Extended Tetraether Lipids Found in a High-CO2 Geyser.bioRxiv, pp.2026-01.
	Groninga, J., Liu, W., Wörmer, L., Altun, J., Teske, A. and Hinrichs, K.U., 2026. Millimetre‐Scale Stratification of Microbial Communities in Hydrothermal Sediments.Environmental Microbiology,28(1), p.e70227.
2025	Groninga, J., Lipp, J., Song, M. and Hinrichs, K.U., 2025. Isotopologue Ratios Identify 13C‐Depleted Biomarkers in Environmental Samples Impacted by Methane Turnover.Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry,39(22), p.e10118.