Gijs Kuenen

Dr. J. Gijs Kuenen is a Dutch microbiologist who is presently part time professor at Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) and the University of Southern California (USA). Gijs Kuenen's research is influenced by, and a contribution to, the scientific tradition of the " [http://www.beijerinck.bt.tudelft.nl/live/pagina.jsp?id=169dd2f1-3b5f-4f8b-a10f-a931d0988de4&lang=en Delft School of Microbiology] "

Gijs Kuenen studied at the University of Groningen, where he received both his Doctorandus degree (equivalent to Msc) and in 1972 his Doctorate (PhD) under the supervision of Professor Dr. Hans Veldkamp. The tittle of his thesis was ‘‘Colourless sulphur bacteria from Dutch tidal mudflats’’. After a short post-doc at the University of California in Los Angeles (USA), he returned as a senior lecturer to Groningen. In 1980, he moved to Delft to become the 4th Professor of Microbiology (succeeding M.W. Beijerinck and A.J. Kluyver) at Delft University of Technology. Kuenen's initial research interests were (the application of) bacteria involved in the natural sulfur cycle and yeast physiology and metabolism. His later interest in the (eco)physiology of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria has lead a.o. to the discovery of the bacterial phylum planctomycetes that perform the Anammox process. In addition, his research has been focussed on (halo) alkaliphilic sulfur oxidizing bacteria from soda lakes. Gijs Kuenen officially retired in 2005 but remains active in science.

Awards

In 2004 Gijs Kuenen was made a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, In 2005 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy for Microbiology. In 2006 he received the Jim Tiedje Award for his outstanding contribution to microbial ecology at the 11th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology in Vienna and in 2007 he was awarded the Procter & Gamble Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

References

* [http://www.anammox.com www.anammox.com]
*J.W.M. la Rivière (2004) The Delft School of Microbiology in historical perspective. [http://www.springerlink.com/content/v248835427k24475 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 71:3-13]
*Kuenen J.G. (2008) Anammox bacteria: from discovery to application. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=3094&itool=AbstractPlus-def&uid=18340342&db=pubmed&url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1857 Nature Reviews Microbiology 6:320-326]
*Sorokin D.Y. & Kuenen J.G. (2005) Chemolithotrophic haloalkaliphiles from soda lakes. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=3046&itool=AbstractPlus-def&uid=16329914&db=pubmed&url=http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/openurl?genre=article&sid=nlm:pubmed&issn=0168-6496&date=2005&volume=52&issue=3&spage=287 FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 52:287-295]
*van de Graaf A.A., Mulder A., de Bruijn P., Jetten M.S., Robertson L.A., Kuenen J.G. (1995) Anaerobic oxidation of ammonium is a biologically mediated process. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=3494&itool=AbstractPlus-nondef&uid=7747947&db=pubmed&url=http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=7747947 Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 61:1246-1251]