He researches topics at the interface between molecular microbiology and evolutionary ecology. He has established himself as one of the world's leading authorities on experimental microbial evolution. For example, he has demonstrated how random molecular processes in a genetically homogeneous group of bacteria can give rise to diversification, which is directly relevant to our understanding of pathogenic bacteria. As a professor at ETH Zurich and department head at Eawag, Martin Ackermann achieves a productive combination of pure and applied research.