Research

Special Field: Microbiology

Main research interests: Pathogenicity factors of pathogenic enterobacteria, characterisation of pathogenicity islands of pathogenic germs, regulation of microbial virulence genes, epidemiology and variability of virulence characteristics of staphylococcus, pathogenicity of human pathogenic fungi

Career

• 2010-2020 President of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina – National Academy of Sciences, Halle (Saale), Germany
• 2008-2010 President of the Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
• 2006 Visiting Professor at the Sackler Institute for Advanced Studies, Tel Aviv University, Israel
• 2000, 2005 Research visits at the Institute Pasteur, Paris, France
• 1993-2008 Full Professor (C4) und Head of the Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Germany
• 1988-1993 Associate Professor (C3) for Microbiology at the University of Würzburg, Germany
• 1986 Habilitation at the University of Würzburg, Germany
• 1980-1988 Research Assistant at the Chair for Microbiology, Würzburg, Germany
• 1979 Ph.D. (Biology) at the Martin-Luther-University of Halle (Saale), Germany
• 1970-1974 Studies in Biology at the Martin-Luther-University of Halle (Saale), Germany

Functions

(Selection)

• since 2020 Member of the University Council of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• since 2018 Member of the Selection Committee for the Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award
• since 2017 Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Biotrain-Projekt (Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation)
• since 2017 Member of the Advisory Board of the higher education institutions in the city of Halle (Saale), established by the Evangelical Church of Central Germany
• since 2016 Member of the European Science Advisors Forum (ESAF) of the European Commission
• since 2014 Member in the Foundation Board of the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation
• 2014-2017 Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH)
• 2014-2016 Member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board
• since 2012 Chairman of the board of trustees, German Science Journalists’ Association
• since 2011 Member in the Foundation Board of the Arthur-Burckhardt-Foundation (Chairman since 2014)
• 2011 Member of the Ethics Commission for a Safe Energy Supply of the Chancellor of Germany
• 2010-2016 Member of the Committee of the Excellence Initiative
• 2009-2016 Member in the Board of Trustees of the Max Planck Institute for Infectious Biology in Berlin , Germany
• since 2008 Member in the Foundation Board of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation
• 2007-2015 Member in the Senate of German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Halle (Saale), Germany
• since 2007 Member in the Scientific Council of the Institute Pasteur, Paris, France
• 2006-2016 Member in the University Council of the University Marburg, Germany
• since 2005 Member in the Scientific Advisory Board of the Umea Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR) at the University of Umea, Sweden
• 2005-2013 Member in the Supervisory Board of the Helmholtz Centre for Infectious Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
• 2004-2016 Member in the Panel of the Thuringian Research Prize, Germany
• 2003-2009 Vice President of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
• 2000-2003 Reviewer of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
• since 1998 Member in the Scientific Advisory Board of the Robert Koch Foundation
• 1996-1997 President of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology
• 1996-2007 Member in the Lynen Panel of the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Foundation

Projects

(Selection)

• 2010-2016 Member in the German-Israeli project cooperation (DIP)
• 2007-2010 Speaker of the project area “E. coli” in the network ERA-NET PathoGenoMics (European cooperation and coordination of genome sequencing und functional genome research on human pathogen microorganisms)
• 2006-2010 Member and vice speaker of the Transregio collaborative research centre 34 “Pathophysiology at Staphylococci”, Universities Greifswald, Tübingen and Würzburg, Germany
• 2005-2010 Coordinator of the EU-Program EuroPathoGenomics (6. Framework Program of the EU, “Network of Excellence”)
• 2004-2015 Member in the collaborative research centre 630 of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
• 2001-2008 Co-coordinator of the BMBF-Program PathoGenoMik and PathoGenoMik Plus

Honours and Memberships

(Selection)

• 2021 Order of Merit of the Land of Saxony-Anhalt
• 2019 Röntgenmedaille, Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU), Würzburg
• 2018 Preis der Initiatoren – Citizen Award in Halle/Germany „Der Esel, der auf Rosen geht“
• 2017 Honorary Doctorate awarded by Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi
• 2017 Stuart Mudd Award of the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS)
• 2016 Honorary member Akademie gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften zu Erfurt
• 2016 Foreign Member Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti
• 2016 Honorary Doctorate awarded by the Russian Academy of Sciences
• 2014 Honorary Citizenship Grevesmühlen/Germany
• 2012 Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
• 2012 Honorary degree, awarded by the University of Tel Aviv, Israel
• 2012 Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Salzburg, Austria
• 2011 Foreign Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology Berlin and Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society, Germany
• 2010 Honorary Professor at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University of Greifswald, Germany
• 2010 Honorary member of the Kitasato Institute, Tokyo, Japan
• 2010 Member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering – acatech
• 2010 Member of the Indian National Science Academy, Delhi, India
• 2010 Member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany
• 2010 Member of the Academia Europaea, London, UK
• 2009 Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany ("am Bande")
• 2009 Honorary Senator of the University of Würzburg, Germany
• 2009 Honorary degree, awarded by the University of Hyderabad, India
• 2009 Member of the European Academy of Microbiology
• 2008 Prize of the Arthur Burkhardt Foundation for Promotion of Science
• 2008 Gay Lussac Humboldt Science Award
• 2007 Honorary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
• 2006 André-Lwoff-Award of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS)
• 2006 Member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Munich, Germany
• 2005 Fellow Sackler Institute for Advanced Studies, Tel Aviv University, Israel
• 2004 Member of the American Academy for Microbiology (AAM)
• 2004 Honorary degree, awarded by the University of Pecs, Hungary
• 2003 Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
• 2003 Member of the Academy of Sciences at Göttingen, Germany
• 2002 Honorary degree, awarded by the University of Umea, Sweden
• 2001 Carus Medal of the Leopoldina and Carus Prize of the City Schweinfurt, Germany
• 1998 Member of the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina, Halle (Saale) , Germany
• 1995 Honorary Member of the Hungarian Society for Microbiology
• 1994 Main prize of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM)
• 1992 University medal of the University of Helsinki, Finland
• 1988 Academy prize of the Academy of Sciences at Göttingen, Germany
• 1985 Young scientist award of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology