Environmental Research Institute

• Biotechnology & Bioresources
• Emerging Contaminants & Ecotoxicology
• Biogeochemistry
• Ecology and Ecosystems

• Nov 2006 - Present
  Postdoctoral Research Associate, Environmental Research Institute, UHI North Highland College
• Jan 2002 - Nov 2006
  Postgraduate Research Associate: Institute for Chemical Engineering, Vienna University of Technology

Qualifications:

• 2005
  PhD (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), Vienna University of Technology
• 2002
  MSc Technical Chemistry (Biotechnology, Microbiology and Biochemistry), Vienna University of Technology

• Burtscher, M.M., Koellner, K.E., Sommer, R., Keiblinger, K., Farnleitner, A.H., Mach, R.L. (2006) Development of a novel amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) typing method for enterococci isolates from cattle faeces and evaluation of the single versus pooled faecal sampling approach. J. Microbiol. Methods 67, 281-293
• Byamukama, D., Farnleitner, A.H., Kansiime, F., Manafi, M., Burtscher, M., Mach, R.L. (2005) Contrasting Occurance of Chromobacterium violaceum in tropical Drinking Water Springs of Uganda. J. Water Health 3 (3), 229-238
• Farnleitner, A.H., Wilhartitz, I., Kirschner, A.K.T., Stadler, H., Burtscher, M.M., Hornek, R., Szewzyk, U., Herndl, G., Mach, R.L. (2005) Bacterial dznamics in spring water of two contrasting alpine karst aquifers indicates stable autochthonous microbial endokarst communities and morphological adaptations to hydrological conditions. J. Enviorn. Microbiol. 7 (8), 1248-1259
• Farnleitner, A.H., Zibuschka, F., Burtscher, M.M., Lindner, G., Reischer, G., Mach, R.L. (2004) Eubacterial 16S-rDNA Amplicon Profiling: A Rapid Technique for Comparison and Differentiation of Heterotrophic Plate Count Communities from Drinking Water. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 92 (3), 333-345

• MST (Microbial Source Tracking)
• Microbial ecology of aquatic systems
• Microbiological water quality and hygiene
• Molecular biological techniques for environmental applications
• Peatland ecology –(emphasis on microbial community/diversity in peat)
• Coral biology (emphasis on algal symbionts)

• Acted as journal reviewer for:
  - Journal of Coral Reefs