Hi I'm
Dr Jolanda van Munster

I am a microbiologist with an interest in understanding how fungi degrade plant cell walls. To achieve this, I work on the interface of fungal biology, enzymology and carbohydrate analysis. I aim to apply gained insights to sustainable livestock farming and biotechnology.

After completing my PhD in microbial physiology and enzymology in the Netherlands, I held a position as postdoctoral fellow at the University of Nottingham in fungal biology, and then joined the University of Manchester via a personal fellowship to work in chemical biology. In 2020 I took up a research-focussed position at SRUC, initially as Challenge Research Fellow and since 2023 as Royal Society University Research Fellow.

At SRUC, I lead a team working on creating functional understanding of the rumen microbiome, which is needed to formulate strategies for more sustainable livestock. We focus on the anaerobic fungi that are part of the fibre-degrading microbiome in the ruminant digestive system. We aim to uncover the roles that these fungi play in digestion of plant materials that form part of animal feeds. This includes understanding fungal enzymes and other degradative mechanisms, their biochemical effects on plant materials, and the interactions of these fungi with other rumen microbes.