Wikipedia

Danny Ionescu

Danny Ionescu (Hebrew: דני יונסקו) is an aquatic microbial ecologist currently affiliated with the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries.[1] His primary research focus centers around the biology of giant bacteria[2][3] and microbial life in the Dead Sea.

Danny Ionescu
Born (1976-07-02) 2 July 1976 (age 47)
Bucharest, Romania
NationalityIsraeli, German
Alma materSchool of Marine Sciences (B.Sc.)
Hebrew University of Jerusalem (PhD)
Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
SpouseMina Bizic
Children2
Scientific career
FieldsMicrobiology, Environmental science
InstitutionsMax Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
Thesis Cyanobacterial Biogeography and Nitrogen Fixation: Lessons from environmental and model organisms  (2009)

Education and career edit

Between 2000 and 2003, Ionescu earned a BSc degree in Marine Sciences and Marine Environmental Sciences from the School of Marine Sciences at the Ruppin Academic Center in Israel.[1]

His academic journey continued with a master's degree between 2003 and 2005, conducted under the guidance of Prof. Aharon Oren at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Prof. Karlheinz Altendorf and Dr. Andre Lipski at the University of Osnabrueck in Germany. His Master's thesis, titled "Characterization of an endoevaporitic microbial community in the Eilat salterns by fatty acid analysis and stable isotope labeling",[4] reflected his research focus during this period.

Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Research edit

In 2005, Ionescu embarked on a Ph.D. degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as part of the peace project "Bridging the Rift",[5][6][7][8] in collaboration with Prof. Muna Hindiyeh[9] and Prof. Mohhamad Wedyan.[10] His doctoral thesis was titled "Cyanobacterial Biogeography and Nitrogen Fixation: Lessons from environmental and model organisms".[11]

During his first postdoctoral research, starting in 2009, at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Ionescu led the first scientific diving exploration of the Dead Sea.[12]

 
Four photographs of a series of underwater fresh water springs found in the Dead Sea, approximately 1.8 km west of Mitzpe Shalem, in 2010 by Danny Ionescu

The expedition revealed abundant microbial life forms in and around underwater freshwater springs.[13][14][15][16] The underwater scenery of the Dead Sea as documented by Ionescu and Dr. Christian Lott of the Hydra Institute was featured in several documentary movies.[17]

His work at the Max Planck Institute included studies on the interaction between minerals and microbial cells, conducted Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden[18] and on the island of Kiritimati,[19] as part of the collaborative researcher group FOR571.[20]

In 2014, Ionescu joined the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), where his research focused on the genomics and ecology of giant bacteria, specifically the genus Achromatium. Notably, in 2017, Ionescu discovered that the multiple chromosomes harbored by these large bacteria are not identical,[21][22][23] highlighting their adaptability to different environments.[24][25][26]

In 2021, Ionescu has received the independent research grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) to further explore these topics.[27]

Academic Contributions edit

Dr. Danny Ionescu has made significant contributions to the field of aquatic microbial ecology. A comprehensive list of his publications can be found on his ORCID[28] and Google Scholar[29] pages.

Additionally, Ionescu actively participates in the scientific community. He serves on the Managing Board of the open access research platform PCI Genomics[30] and contributes as a recommender for PCI Microbiology.[31] Moreover, he holds positions as an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Microbiology[32] and editorial board member of Scientific Reports.[33]

Personal life edit

Born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1976, Ionescu and his family immigrated to Israel in 1984. He is married to Dr. Mina Bizic, also a scientist, and the couple has two children.[34] Ionescu's brother, Ariel Ionescu,[35] is a Neurobiologist, and his brother-in-law, David Bizic, is an opera singer.[36]

Ionescu is a certified SSI Gold level diving instructor[37][38]

References edit

  1. ^ a b http://www.igb-berlin.de. Danny Ionescu | IGB. [online] Available at: https://www.igb-berlin.de/en/profile/danny-ionescu [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024]
  2. ^ Ionescu, Danny & Bizic, Mina. (2019). Giant Bacteria. 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020371.pub2.
  3. ^ Danny Ionescu, Jean-Marie Volland, Paul-Emile Contarini, Olivier Gros, Genomic Mysteries of Giant Bacteria: Insights and Implications, Genome Biology and Evolution, Volume 15, Issue 9, September 2023, evad163, https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evad163
  4. ^ Ionescu, D. et al. (2007) Characterization of the endoevaporitic microbial communities in a hypersaline gypsum crust by fatty acid analysis - hydrobiologia, SpringerLink. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750-006-0289-7 (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  5. ^ Bridging the Rift - Cornell University. Available at: https://www.cs.cornell.edu/projects/btr/ (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  6. ^ Bridging the rift at the Dead Sea (2006) Breuerpress International. Available at: https://www.breuerpress.com/2006/03/03/bridging-the-rift-at-the-dead-sea/ (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  7. ^ Krajick, K. (2004) New science center to bridge the rift | science | AAAS, Science.org. Available at: https://www.science.org/content/article/new-science-center-bridge-rift (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  8. ^ Brand, D., February 26, 2004 and Credit: Mustafa Abadan and TJ Gottesdiener, S. (2004) Cornell and Stanford to work with Israel and Jordan on bridging the Rift Research Center to include World’s first databank for all living systems, Cornell Chronicle. Available at: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2004/02/worlds-first-databank-all-living-systems (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  9. ^ Prof. Muna Hindiyeh (no date) Prof. Muna Hindiyeh | German Jordanian University. Available at: https://www.gju.edu.jo/content/prof-muna-hindiyeh-1556 (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  10. ^ Mohammed Ali Mohammed Wedyan Professor Biochemistry - Marine The Hashemite University Faculty Staff website . Available at: https://staff.hu.edu.jo/CV_e.aspx?id=IU9flqDIF54 (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  11. ^ The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2011) IONESCU, DANNY - PhD Thesis. Available at: http://www.research-students.huji.ac.il/en/ionescu-0 (Accessed: 01 February 2024). Cyanobacterial Biogeography and Nitrogen Fixation: Lessons form Environmental and Model Organisms
  12. ^ First Scientific Diving Expedition at the Dead Sea (2011) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHLiobkTUd0&t=20s (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  13. ^ Springs of Life in the Dead Sea Scientists discover dense and diverse microbial communities in and around fresh water springs on the Dead Sea floor (2011) 21.09.2011 springs of life in the Dead Sea. Available at: https://www.mpi-bremen.de/en/Springs-of-Life-in-the-Dead-Sea.html (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  14. ^ Dell’Amore, C. (2021) New life-forms found at bottom of Dead Sea, Science. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/110928-new-life-dead-sea-bacteria-underwater-craters-science (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  15. ^ American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. "Dead Sea researchers discover freshwater springs and numerous micro-organisms." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 September 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110927112546.htm>.
  16. ^ Ionescu, Danny; Siebert, Christian; Polerecky, Lubos; Munwes, Yaniv Y.; Lott, Christian; Häusler, Stefan; Bižić-Ionescu, Mina; Quast, Christian; Peplies, Jörg; Glöckner, Frank Oliver; Ramette, Alban; Rödiger, Tino; Dittmar, Thorsten; Oren, Aharon; Geyer, Stefan; Stärk, Hans-Joachim; Sauter, Martin; Licha, Tobias; Laronne, Jonathan B.; De Beer, Dirk (2012). "Microbial and Chemical Characterization of Underwater Fresh Water Springs in the Dead Sea". PLOS ONE. 7 (6): e38319. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...738319I. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038319. PMC 3367964. PMID 22679498.
  17. ^ Watch extreme! - from Valley Deep to mountain high online (no date) Prime Video. Available at: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Extreme---From-Valley-Deep-to-Mountain-High/0KEO7MIWB3USSG9HPIGE0YWYRO (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  18. ^ Ionescu, D. et al. (2015) ‘Diversity of iron oxidizing and reducing bacteria in flow reactors in the ÄSPÖ Hard Rock Laboratory’, Geomicrobiology Journal, 32(3–4), pp. 207–220. doi:10.1080/01490451.2014.884196.
  19. ^ Ionescu, D., Spitzer, S., Reimer, A., Schneider, D., Daniel, R., Reitner, J., de Beer, D. and Arp, G. (2015), Calcium dynamics in microbialite-forming exopolymer-rich mats on the atoll of Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati, Central Pacific. Geobiology, 13: 170-180. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12120
  20. ^ gepris.dfg.de. (n.d.). DFG - GEPRIS - FOR 571: Geobiology of Organo- and Biofilms: Coupling of the Geosphere and the Biosphere by Microbial Processes. [online] Available at: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/5471545?language=en [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024].
  21. ^ Bunk, K. (2017) Riesenbakterium enthält erbgut für eine Ganze Bevölkerung, Giant bacterium contain genetic material for an entire population. Available at: https://idw-online.de/de/news680656 (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  22. ^ Christoph (2017) A lakeside tale - small things considered, Small Things Considered (STC). Available at: https://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2017/09/a-lakeside-tale.html (Accessed: 01 February 2024).
  23. ^ Ionescu, D. et al. (2017) 'Community-like genome in single cells of the sulfur bacterium Achromatium oxaliferum,' Nature Communications, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00342-9.
  24. ^ Giant aquatic bacterium is a master of adaptation (2020). https://www.igb-berlin.de/en/news/giant-aquatic-bacterium-master-adaptation.
  25. ^ Ionescu, D., Zoccarato, L. and Schorn, S. (2022). When it comes to the giant bacterium Achromatium, everything is everywhere. TheScienceBreaker, 08(01). doi:https://doi.org/10.25250/thescbr.brk613.
  26. ^ Ionescu, D., Luca Zoccarato, Artur Zaduryan, Schorn, S., Bižić, M., Pinnow, S., Heribert Cypionka and Hans‐Peter Grossart (2020). Heterozygous, Polyploid, Giant Bacterium,Achromatium, Possesses an Identical Functional Inventory Worldwide across Drastically Different Ecosystems. Molecular Biology and Evolution, [online] 38(3), pp.1040–1059. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaa273.
  27. ^ gepris.dfg.de. (n.d.). DFG - GEPRIS - Eco-evolution and cellular functionality of the heterozygous bacterial genus Achromatium. [online] Available at: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/465407921?language=en [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024].
  28. ^ "ORCID".
  29. ^ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=z-XVkFMAAAAJ
  30. ^ genomics.peercommunityin.org. Ionescu, Danny - PCI Genomics Managing Board. [online] Available at: https://genomics.peercommunityin.org/public/user_public_page?userId=360 [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024].
  31. ^ microbiol.peercommunityin.org. PCI Microbiol. [online] Available at: https://microbiol.peercommunityin.org/public/user_public_page?userId=33 [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024].
  32. ^ loop.frontiersin.org. Loop | Danny Ionescu. [online] Available at: https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/165182/overview [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024].
  33. ^ http://www.nature.com. Editors | Scientific Reports. [online] Available at: https://www.nature.com/srep/about/editors#microbiology [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024].
  34. ^ vimeo.com. #02 - Aquatic ecologist Dr. Mina Bizic (IGB): exploring life in water and dealing with dual careers in science. [online] Available at: https://vimeo.com/470103616 [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024].
  35. ^ The HBP Curriculum - HBP Student Learning Needs. Ariel Ionescu. [online] Available at: https://neuroscience-innovation.org/project-ariel-loenescu [Accessed 1 Feb. 2024].
  36. ^ https://www.facebook.com/danny.ionescu/about_family_and_relationships
  37. ^ SSI Certificate GOLD 500 DIVER. My.divessi.com. (n.d.). https://my.divessi.com/code/thickbox/ccard_db_query.php?ccard_uid=797001Y4292798091053-IL
  38. ^ Blackburn, Nicky, and Karin Kloosterman. “Dead Sea Divers Discover New Forms of Life.” ISRAEL21c, 12 Sept. 2012, www.israel21c.org/dead-sea-divers-discover-new-forms-of-life. Accessed 4 Feb. 2024.

External links edit

 
Scholia has a profile for Danny Ionescu (Q43023201).
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