Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton

Dr. Jörg Wiedenmann is Senior Lecturer at the University of Southampton and head of the Marine Biotechnology Laboratory and the Coral Laboratory at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (http://www.noc.soton.ac.uk/corals/).

He discovered green and red fluorescent GFP-like proteins in sea anemones in 1997, and proposed their application as their application as in vivo markers (Patent DE19718640A1, DPMA). His research focused on the ecology of cnidarian pigments, the biochemistry of fluorescent proteins and chromoproteins and their application as markers in biomedical research. He cloned the coding DNAs of over 40 novel GFP-like proteins from marine invertebrates and conducted detailed biochemical and spectral characterization of the proteins. He was involved in the X-ray crystallo¬graphy of several fluorescent proteins. Various aspects of the impact of GFP-like proteins on the coloration of reef corals were studied in the Great Barrier Reef, the Mediterranean Sea and under controlled laboratory conditions. Research of Jörg also elucidated the origin of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia, the molecular phylogeny of zooxanthellae in temperate waters and their loss in bleaching of sea anemones and the regulation of heat shock proteins in cnidarians under stress. He is peer reviewer for several international journals and a member of the NERC Peer Review College and steering committee member of the NERC-funded Coral Aquarist Researcher Network (CARN, http://carnuk.org/about.aspx). He secured funding >£1 million. His work received several prestigious awards including the Merckle Research Award, the Award Cooperation University & Industry, and the Vice Chancellor Teaching Award.

Specialism: Biological Oceanography

Marine Biotechnology:
Novel marker proteins from marine invertebrates, life cell imaging, protein biochemistry, protein engineering.

Molecular analyses of marine organism:
Biological functions of host pigments in anthozoans, molecular responses of the coral holobiont to environmental stress, adaptation potential of reef corals to global warming and ocean acidification, coral proteomics, light-induced gene regulation in anthozoans.

Ecology of Anthozoans:

Host-symbiont interactions in hermatypic corals and see anemones, interspecific relations, aqua culture and propagation of corals.

The Coral Reef Laboratory

I head the Ocean and Earth Science Coral Reef Laboratory. This includes the Coral Reef Tank located in the reception area of NOCS.

I am also a member of the Coral Aquarist Research Network (CARN).

Primary research group:  Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems