Research

Since 1979, Alfred Pühler is in charge of the Chair of Genetics at Bielefeld University. He concentrates on the genetics and genetic engineering of biotechnologically interesting bacteria such as the N₂-fixing symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti, the xanthan-producing Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris and the amino acid producer Corynebacterium glutamicum. During the past few years, he committed himself to microbial genome research and set up a technology platform for high throughput sequencing, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome analyses at the Center of Biotechnology at Bielefeld University. At the same time, a bioinformatic group dealing with the analysis of „omics“ data was established. Since 2004, he leads the Center for Biotechnology at Bielefeld University as Chairman of the Executive Committee.

Career

• since 2008 Senior Research Professor at the Center for Biotechnology of Bielefeld University, Germany
• 1979-2008 Head of the Chair of Genetics at Bielefeld University, Germany
• 1976 Habilitation in Microbiology/Genetics at the University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
• 1971 PhD degree in Microbiology at the University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
• 1961-1967 Study of Physics at the University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany

Projects

• since 2009 Organizer of the CLIB Graduate Cluster “Industrial Biotechnology” at the Center for Biotechnology of Bielefeld University
• since 2008 Organizer of the project “Technology Platform PolyOmics” in the frame of the “Objective 2” Program 2007 - 2013 (ERDF)

Functions

• since 2011 Member of the Supervisory Board of the German Academy of Science and Engineering acatech
• since 2010 Member of the Standing Committee “Life Sciences“ of Leopoldina, Germany
• 2009-2012 Member of the Bioeconomy Council
• 2009-2012 Chairperson of the acatech topical network “Biotechnology”
• since 2008 Foreign Secretary of the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities
• 1999-2005 Member of the Science Council
• 1988-1996 Elected reviewer for the German Science Foundation in the field “General Biology, Genetics and Cell Biology”

Honours and Memberships

• since 2011 Honorary Member of DECHEMA e.V.
• 2009 Honoured with the Federal Cross of Merit, Germany
• 2008 Awarded with the DECHEMA-Medal
• since 2004 Member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering acatech
• since 1999 Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• since 1993 Member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Germany