My research is focused on the study of a polyphyletic group of amoebae, the testate amoebae. At present, I am exploring the species assemblages living in the oligotrophic, sandy-gravelly bottom sediments of the Danube which were completly neglected earlier. I have established the occurrence of new and rare species, for which morphometric and phylogenetic analysis is underway.

Recently, I investigated endobiont bacteria in species of the testate amoeba genus Arcella by cultivation and genotyping. Methods included FISH, molecular phylogeny and TEM analyses. In addition to several groups of bacteria prone to symbiosis, I also detected pathogenic bacteria in these eukaryotic hosts. I found that the species composition of the endobiont community in the host changes over the years, with the specific symbionts being replaced by generalist endobiontes.

In my previous research between 2006 and 2010, I obtained partial 18S rRNA gene sequences of various Arcella species to establish phylogenetic relationships, including that of the rare Arcella formosa.

In the early years of my career, I studied the composition of diverse testate amoebae assemblages from various limnoterrestric habitats, approaching different ecological questions.