Dr. Susanna Kushnir


Born in Lviv, Ukraine.

1983 – 1988: Biology at I.Franko National University in Lviv.

1991 – 1996: graduate studies in microbial genetics at I. Franko National University in Lviv, the O.M. Marzeyev Institute for Hygiene and Medical Ecology, Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev and the Institutes of Antibiotics and Genetics, Academy of  Sciences in Moscow.

2000 – 2003: Postdoctoral researcher at the Hans-Knöll-Institute and Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Jena.

2003 – 2009: Postdoctoral researcher at the Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund.

2009 – 2013: Postdoctoral researcher at the TU Dortmund.

2013 – onging: Senior Scientist at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

 

My research interest lies on the derivatisation of polyketide natural products. We investigate the biosynthesis of "non-natural natural products", i.e. derivatives of compounds such as (pre-)monensin and erythromycin A. We are using the full spectrum of combinatorial biosynthesis on polyketides in order to biosynthesize derivatives, such genome modification of producers and/or feeding with different substrate analogs. We are able to design and create mutants, producing new derivatives by the introduction of chromosomal mutations.