The focus of Dr. Winkler’s research is in the area of environmental biotechnology. Her research emphasizes on the application of micro-organisms, for sustainable water reclamation and resource recovery. The applied methodologies are process engineering / reactor technology, microbial ecology, and mathematical modeling. Winkler is active in both, applied science and fundamental research on metabolic mechanisms of microorganisms. Her main research interests are the biogeochemistry of nitrogen and carbon compounds and the microbial communities that sustain these nutrient cycles. Besides academic research, her professional curriculum includes industrial experience in the water and wastewater sector, which shapes her application driven research endeavors. She has long-term international research experiences in the US and abroad and has established multiple international collaborations. She has supervised 30 Master, Bachelor, and PhD students to their mutual satisfaction.
Soil degradation and dysbiosis is a critical global challenge, threatening food security, carbon sequestration, and agricultural sustainability. BioBead is an innovative biodegradable hydrogel technology designed to address soil dysbiosis by restoring microbial balance, enhancing nutrient retention, and promoting plant resilience. By leveraging bacterial-fungal-plant interactions, BioBead facilitates stable soil carbon storage, reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers, and improves water retention. Our research integrates microbial consortia and hydrogel science to develop a scalable, sustainable approach for improving soil fertility, bioremediation, and climate resilience.
Integrating single-cell wetland microbiome structure, function, and activity to ecosystem-scale biogeochemical fluxes
Wetlands play an essential role in the global carbon cycle, storing about 20% of terrestrial carbon while occupying only 5–8% of Earth’s land surface. They also account for roughly 30% of global methane emissions. However, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by complex climate feedback controls and anthropogenic perturbations, which can disrupt their carbon balance. Hydrological disturbances—such as drought, flooding, and saltwater intrusion from sea-level rise—can significantly alter sediment biogeochemistry, impacting permanent carbon sequestration capacity and greenhouse gas fluxes. This research integrates fieldwork with laboratory bioreactors to examine how oxygen and sulfate influence the wetland microbiome. By pairing multi-omics approaches (metagenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics) with measurements of microbial metabolites and greenhouse gas emissions, we aim to improve our understanding of wetland responses to environmental stressors—critical for predicting their role in future changes in weather patterns.
Innovative and sustainable biological wastewater treatment processes
As urbanization increases, wastewater treatment plants must treat higher flows while meeting stricter nutrient discharge limits, often within space-constrained facilities. Traditional activated sludge systems, originally designed for biological oxygen demand removal, now require additional processes for nitrogen and phosphorus removal, increasing reactor volume, energy demand, and chemical inputs. To address these challenges, process intensification—developing more efficient and compact treatment technologies—has become essential. This research investigates two intensification technologies, the Mobile Organic Biofilm (MOB) process and aerobic granular sludge. Lab and pilot scale studies are conducted aimed to advance wastewater treatment intensification, enabling more sustainable, adaptable, and resource-efficient nutrient removal solutions.
SeaO2 Lockers
SeaO2 Lockers has created a novel system for extremely high-density microalgae offshore farming to sequester CO2 at gigatonne scale. The SeaO2 Locker system will lock CO2 for centuries within building infrastructure, and in underground storage. Our offshore farming also offers a platform for extract value-added products (animal feed, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, medicine, plastics) and food (high value nutrients, protein foods, healthy foods) to offset the CO2 sequestration cost.