Junia Schultz

Postdoctoral Fellows

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Research Interests

Dr. Junia Schultz is a biologist with a PhD in biotechnology and bioprocesses. Her research interests at KAUST are focused on unraveling the culturable and yet-to-be-cultured microorganisms of extreme Saudi Arabian environments, and exploit those extremophiles for biotechnological and astrobiological applications. Over the last 7 years, she has been working with extreme environments, including Antarctic ecosystems and deep-sea, and studying their microbial community and metabolic potential for biotechnology.

Selected Publications

  • Eziuzor, S.C.; Corrêa, F.B.; Peng, S.; Schultz, J.; Kleinsteuber, S.; da Rocha, U.N.; Adrian, L.; Vogt, C. Structure and functional capacity of a benzene-mineralizing, nitrate-reducing microbial community. J Appl Microbiol. 2022 Jan 7. doi: 10.1111/jam.15443. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34995421.
  • Schultz, J.; Rosado, A.S. Extreme environments: A source of biosurfactant for biotechnological applications. Extremophiles Journal, v. 1, p. 1-18, 2020. DOI: 10.1007/s00792-019-01151-2.
  • Schultz, J.; Rosado, A.S. Use of microbes from extreme environments for biotechnological applications. In: Advanced Techniques for Studying Microorganisms in Extreme Environments. Ed. Etienne Yergeau. De Gruyter, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525786.
  • Schultz, J.; Kallies, K.; Nunes da Rocha, U.; Rosado, A.S. Draft-genome Sequence of Brevibacillus sp. strain LEMMJ03 isolated from an Antarctic volcano sediment. Microbiology Resource Announcements, v. 8, p. 1-2, 2019. DOI: 10.1128/MRA.00921-19.
  • Schultz, J.; Rosado, A.S. Microbial role in the ecology of Antarctic plants. In: The Ecological Role of Micro-organisms in the Antarctic Environment. Ed. Susana Castro-Sowinski. Springer Polar Sciences, 2019. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-02786-5.
  • Mansur, M.C.P.P.R.; Cardoso-Rurr, J.; Silva, J.; Souza, G.R.; Cardoso, V.S.; Mansoldo, F.; De Souza, Y.A.P.; Schultz, J.; Lage, C.; Balottin, L.L.; Silva, A.R.; Santos, E.P.; Rosado, A.S.; Vermelho, A.B. Novel carotenoids from UV-resistant Antarctic Microbacterium sp. LEMMJ01. Scientific Reports, v. 9, n. 9554, 2019. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45840-6.
  • Schultz, J.; Souza, Y.A.P.; Mansur, M.C.P.P.R.; Vermelho, A.B.; Mota, F.F.; Rosado, A.S. Draft Genome Sequence of Microbacterium sp. strain LEMMJ01 from Antarctic ornithogenic soil. Genome Announcements, v. 5, n. 29, 2017. DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00672-17.

Education

  • Ph.D. Biotechnology and Bioprocesses, Institute for Microbiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with partial completion of a graduate program at Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig, Germany, 2019.
  • M.Sc. Environmental Engineering, Environmental Engineering Department, Regional University of Blumenau, Blumenau, Brazil, 2015.
  • B. Sc. Biological Sciences, Department Natural Sciences, Regional University of Blumenau, Blumenau, Brazil, 2012.

Professional Profile

  • 2021-Present: Postdoctoral fellow, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
  • 2019-2021: Postdoctoral fellow, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Institute for Microbiology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • 2015: Lecturer (Environmental analyses), Biomedical Institute, Uniasselvi Group, Blumenau, Brazil.
  • 2015: Lecturer (Human Biology), Department Natural Sciences, Regional University of Blumenau, Blumenau, Brazil.
  • 2009-2012: Trainee (Microbiology and Immunology), FURB, Blumenau, Brazil.

Awards

  • 2019: Best PhD thesis Award PBV-UFRJ.
  • 2019: International Young Scientists Travel Grant, offered by International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) for the ISME Latin America, held in Chile.
  • 2019: FAPERJ scholarship, offered to the best PhD student of the graduate program.
  • 2018: CAPES Doctoral exchange scholarship.
  • 2018: International mobility award from the University of Western Brittany, France.
  • 2017: Australia – Brazil PhD Exchange Award.
  • 2015: CNPq Doctorate scholarship.
  • 2013: CAPES Masters scholarship.
  • 2013: Public Call MCTI/CNPq nº 14/2013, Universal Project Grant.

Research Interests Keywords

Extremophiles Microbial ecology Functional and comparative genomics Microbial cultivation Biotechnology of extremophiles Astrobiology