Logo Wissenschaft im Dialog Wissenschaft im Dialog

Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius

Antje Boetius is a marine biologist and Professor of Geomicrobiology at the University of Bremen. Born in 1967, she studied biology from 1986 to 1992 in Hamburg and San Diego. In 1996, she received her PhD in deep sea ecology.

After working at different marine research institutes, she established a working group to explore microbial habitats in the ocean at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology. Since 2008, she has been leader of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres-Max Planck Society joint research group on deep sea ecology and Technology at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. Additionally, she is board member of the MARUM Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bremen.

In 2009, she was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Furthermore, she was elected a member of the National Academy Leopoldina (geology section), the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz and the German Council of Science and Humanities. 

Since November 2017 she has been leader of the  Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz centre for polar and marine research.

The scientist participated in more than 40 expeditions on international research ships. Currently, she is working on the impact of the climate change on biogeochemistry and biodiversity of the Arctic Ocean. 

Boetius has introduced herself to a wider public through publications, professional articles and numerous TV-appearances. She visited science TV shows such as makro (3sat), Quarks & Co (WDR) and Terra Xpress (ZDF). Besides, she had performances on shows such as Tietjen und Hirschhausen (NDR) and TV Total (Pro7).