Fabio Palmieri

By diving into compost’s microbial battlefield, this project aims to shed light on the mechanisms leading to human virulence emergence in environmental opportunistic fungal pathogens. 🌍➡️🧑‍⚕️

Many thanks to Bernhard Hube for the nice pictures!

I am:
🌱 Sampling compost heaps to culture A. fumigatus;
🧫 Isolating bacteria and fungi that co-exist with it;
🧬 Using metagenomics & metatranscriptomics to uncover ecological functions that moonlight as virulence strategies for human infection.

That’s what I am investigating in my Postdoc in the Fungal Informatics group with @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social at the @uni-jena.de @microverse.bsky.social

There, they have to fight against bacteria, fungi, and even amoebae predators.

But here’s the big mystery: how does a fungus adapted to an environmental lifestyle also acquire the ability to infect humans—without ever experiencing direct selective pressure from us? 🤔

🌱🔥🫁 From compost heaps to human lungs: Understanding how Aspergillus fumigatus has acquired the ability to infect humans

Opportunistic fungal pathogens like Aspergillus fumigatus primarily live in the environment, thriving in very diverse ecosystems such as soils and compost heaps.

New PhD position @uni-jena.de and at our #ClusterOfExcellence! Join @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social's group to study #ClimateChange & #FungalPathogens. Interdisciplinary training, vibrant research network & great working conditions. Apply by Aug 31: jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/a... @uni-jena.de

AI-generated drawing of a woman looking through a microscope with DNA and fungi drawn in the background. The text contains the same content as the bsky post.

My group at is hiring a PhD student to explore how fungal pathogens that live in the environment will adapt their genomes, acquire new phenotypes, and perhaps even increased infectivity as a result of climate change. Please share!

More info and applications at @ jobs.uni-jena.de/vrbup

Two rows of people wearing active or outdoors clothing stand in a lush green forest. One person in the front row holds a map of the area.

Last week we enjoyed a lovely day of socialising and networking with the groups of @mgblango.bsky.social and @slavi-jan.bsky.social. We broke into teams for a scavenger hunt and visited a palace outside Weimar. We were even joined by special guest @mulveylab.bsky.social while he was visiting!

Photo credit of the painting: @microverse.bsky.social, RFS building.

My project aims at unraveling how the environmental lifestyle of #Aspergillusfumigatus, through its interaction with the #soilmicrobiota (bacteria, fungi and predatory amoebae), shapes its #virulence and ability to infect humans. Stay tuned for updates!

I’m happy to share with you that I’m now Postdoctoral Researcher at the FSU Jena @uni-jena.de in the group of Amelia Barber @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social

Congrats @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social!! 🥳

@microverse.bsky.social

An image that reads: Friedrich Schiller University Jena: Preparing your application for a MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship hosted by the University of Jena. Invitation for a Master class.

A medium sized German city. On the right is a picteruesque river in the glowing daybreak. Around the city are gently rolling, green hills.

Are you interested in a postdoc in Germany on fungal pathogen biology, genomics, or antifungal resistance? My Uni (@uni-jena.de) is hosting a free two-day masterclass in June on preparing MSCA Postdoc Fellowships with it as host.

If you are interested in writing a fellowship with me, get in touch!

🚨Job Alert

PhD opportunity with Manchester Fungal Infection Group at University of Manchester looking at mycobiome in response to fungicides🍄‍🟫💊

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Scientists, academics, researchers: We’re excited to share that @altmetric.com is now tracking mentions of your research on Bluesky! 🧪

🚨Please share🚨

I’m hiring a PhD student to start Sep 2025 on an exciting project on fungal pathogens🍄‍🟫, soil health and microbiomes, together with dr. Filipa Cox and @knightjar.bsky.social

If you have any good candidates, please let them contact me directly.

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

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