Prof. Dr. Clemens Mayer is the first supervisor of DC10. Additionally, he is member of the Diversity & Inclusion committee.
Clemens obtained his Master in Biotechnology (2009) from Graz University of Technology. After completing his PhD at ETH Zurich with Don Hilvert (2014), he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge with Sir Shankar Balasubramanian (2014-2016) and the University of Groningen with Gerard Roelfes (2016-2018). In October 2018, Clemens was appointed first as Assistant and in 2023 as Associate Professor at the Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, where he leads the Molecular Evolution group.
Key expertise
Evolution is an all-purpose problem solver. In nature, recursive cycles of diversification, selection, and amplification gave rise to a plethora of biomolecules with remarkable functions. Enzyme engineers, who mimic the Darwinian algorithm in the laboratory, aim to emulate natural selection and create biocatalysts with tailored activities. But classic directed evolution campaigns are notoriously labor- and time-intensive, thus limiting evolutionary searches to just a few cycles along a few trajectories. To overcome these limitations, we are developing scalable and versatile continuous evolution latforms to autonomously engineer industrially-useful biocatalysts at an unprecedented rate and scale. Performing enzyme engineering campaigns along long and many evolutionary trajectories will elucidate the sequence-structure-function relationships of these biocatalysts and enable us to train and improve machine-learning algorithms for the on-demand prediction of efficient enzymes, whose potential as sustainable alternatives to chemical syntheses has remained unexploited.
Our research facilities include laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art instruments for research at the interface of chemistry and biology. This includes know-how and equipment for organic synthesis, molecular biology, and synthetic biology, as well as small-scale bioreactors, automated liquid handlers, and next / third generation sequencing platforms. In addition, several central research and analysis facilities are available within the Stratingh Institute for Chemistry and related institutes, such as the Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute.
Hosting Institution
RUG is an ambitious international research university with strong roots in the north of the Netherlands. RUG creates and shares knowledge through its outstanding research, scholarship and education. With an academic tradition dating back to 1614 and a rich heritage, RUG is a unique academic community with a strong sense of belonging and a culture of innovative education and research. RUG has a strong research program in the life sciences/biotechnology area and is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.
The Biomolecular Chemistry & Catalysis department is represented by an enthusiastic group of researchers from different parts of the world. We represent an awesome group of PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate students with a passion for applying and repurposing the Darwinian algorithm. Parts of the research projects in our labs is done in cooperation with international research labs and industry.
https://mayerlab.nl/research.html
Contact
c.mayer@rug.nl
University of Groningen (RUG)
Starting Institute of Chemistry
Biomolecular Chemistry & Catalysis
Nijenborgh 3
9747AG Groningen
The Netherlands
https://www.rug.nl/staff/c.mayer/?lang=en
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55382818000
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6495-9873
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clemens-mayer-221767175/
https://bsky.app/profile/mayerlab.bsky.social
Relevant Publications
Jansen, S.C., van Beers, P. & Mayer, C. Engineering fluoroacetate dehalogenase by growth-based selections to degrade non-natural organofluorides. bioRxiv, 2025, 2025.03. 18.643849; DOI: 10.1101/2025.07.16.665192
Jansen, S.C. & Mayer, C. A Robust Growth-Based Selection Platform to Evolve an Enzyme via Dependency on Noncanonical Tyrosine Analogues. JACS Au 2024, 4, 1583-1590. DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.4c00070
Rubini, R., Jansen, S.C., Beekhuis, H., Rozeboom, H.J, Mayer, C. Selecting Better Biocatalysts by Complementing Recoded Bacteria. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2023, 62, e202213942. DOI: 10.1002/anie.202213942.