Published at Jun 1, 2026
Author: Anna Matuszynska
Congratulations to Dr. Tobias Pfennig
On 1 June 2026, Tobias Pfennig successfully defended his PhD thesis on computational modelling of photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. His research was funded by Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS).
Tobias was the first PhD student in our lab and played a formative role in building it from the ground up. His doctoral work combined mathematical modelling, experimental data, and photosynthesis research to better understand the dynamics of cyanobacterial photosynthetic electron flow. A major outcome of this work was the first wavelength-dependent mathematical model of photosynthesis in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, published in PLOS Computational Biology.
During his PhD, Tobias contributed to five scientific papers, presented his work internationally, and helped train students in computational modelling, including through CEPLAS-supported activities in Sub-Saharan Africa. His work reflects exactly the kind of interdisciplinary, quantitative biology that our lab develops.
We are very proud of what he has achieved and delighted to see him reach this milestone.
Congratulations, Dr. Tobias Pfennig!