Joachim Wink studied biology at Frankfurt University and obtained his PhD at the institute of molecular biology in 1985 on “Modifications of the protein pattern of Bacillus subtilis during sporulation”. In the same year he moved to the Höchst AG where he started his business career in the core research functions, department of biotechnology as head of a laboratory. From 1992 to 2012 he continued his worked in the pharmaceutical research of the Höchst AG and its following companies Aventis and Sanofi. During these more than 27 years in the industry he was responsible for the microbial strain collection in natural product research and was specialized in isolation, cultivation and characterization of Actinobacteria and Myxobacteria. In 2004 he completed his habilitation dissertation at the Technische Universität Braunschweig on “The taxonomy of secondary metabolite producing Actinomycetes” in cooperation with the DSMZ. Since 2012 Joachim Wink is doing his research at the HZI and in 2013 he became head of the new work group microbial strain collection, he also holds lectures at the TU Braunschweig in biology of metabolite producing microorganisms.

microbial strain collection

Dunja Bruder studied biotechnology at the Technical University of Braunschweig and passed her diploma in 1996. She already showed a high interest in immunology during her studies and analyzed immune responses against bacterial toxins during her PhD thesis at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (1996-1999). In the following years, Dunja Bruder worked as a postdoc in the junior group “Mucosal Immunity” and established transgenic mouse models for the investigation of autoimmune diseases. During several scientific stays abroad, for example at the Harvard Medical School in Boston and the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, she deepened her immunological knowledge and tightened important cooperations. Her successful research activity was rewarded with the Young Investigator Award of the Society of Mucosal Immunology in 2005.

Since October 2006 Dunja Bruder leads the research group “Immune Regulation” at the HZI and was rewarded as the “Supervisor of the year 2008” for her exemplary education of PhD students. In December 2009 she completed her habilitation thesis for immunology at the Hanover Medical School. Since August 2011 Dunja Bruder has a professorship for infections immunology at the Otto-von-Guericke-University in Magdeburg.

immunology

Molecular Biology, Fungal Genetics, Microbiology

W. VERSTRAETE is born on April 25, 1946 in Beernem (Belgium). He graduated in 1968 from the Gent University as bio-engineer. He followed a summer course on Soil Microbiology at the Pasteur Institute of Paris. In 1971, he obtained a Ph D degree in the field of microbiology at the Cornell University, Ithaca (USA). Since 1971, he works at the Gent University, first as assistant and since 1979 as professor and head of the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET - Faculty of Bioscience Engineering). His R & D has a central theme: processes mediated by microbial mixed cultures. His team deals with microbial transformations in waters and soils and the gastro-intestinal tract. A variety of biotechnological processes, based on microbial consortia, are subject to R&D at LabMET.

Microbial Ecology and Technology

Armen Trchounian has completed Ph.D at the age of 25 years from Yerevan State University (YSU), Armenia, and D.Sc. at the age of 33 years from Tbilisi State University, Georgia. He was Professor, Department of Biophysics (1993-2011); from 2011 he is Head, Department of Microbiology & Plants and Microbes Biotechnology, YSU. He was Fulbright Scholar at University of Chicago, USA; Fellows at Chiba University, Japan; University of Reading, UK; University of Virginia, USA; Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany; others. He published more than 250 papers in international peer-reviewed journals, several text-books for schools and universities, review-book. He is serving as editor and editorial board member of numerous journals.

Microbiology & Plants and Microbes

Alexander Rapoport graduated Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia. The degree of PhD in Biology got at the Latvian Academy of Sciences, degree of DSc in Biology at Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of USSR (Moscow), degree of Dr. hab. biol. at Latvian Council of Science. He is Corresponding Member of Latvian Academy of Sciences. Alexander Rapoport worked at Institute of Microbiology, Latvian Academy of Science and now works at the Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia. He is the Head of the Laboratory of Cell Biology. Professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology at University of Latvia. He has published about 210 papers. Main directions of his investigations are linked with physiology, cytology, biochemistry and biotechnology of microorganisms, dehydration and other stress treatments upon microorganisms and especially yeasts. He has revealed the main changes which take place in the cells at their transfer into the state of anhydrobiosis, the main factors which are important for the maintenance of viability of cells, a number of earlier unknown intracellular protective reactions.

Microbiology and Biotechnology

Patrick Fickers has completed a PhD from Université de Liège (Belgium) and postdoctoral studies from Polytech’ Lille (France). He joined then the Centre of Protein Engineering (Liège, Belgium) as a FNRS fellow. Since 2009, he is an Associated Professor at Unversité libre de Bruxelles and the head of the Biotechnology and Bioprocess Unit. He has published 34 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and 6 book chapters. His researches focus on the development of yeast and bacterial strains by metabolic engineering and on process development in bioreactor for the production of valuable compounds.

Microbial Processes and interactions

Microbiology

Microbiology

Rup Lal is a Professor of Molecular Biology at the Department of Zoology, University of Delhi and currently, he is also the Dean, Examinations. He is the recipient of Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and the DBT Overseas Fellowship. He has over 30 years of research experience highlighting the aspects of the genetics of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) degradation, exploring microbial diversity, genetic manipulation of rifamycin producer Amycolatopsis mediterranei, microbial genome sequencing and metagenome analysis of stressed niches. He has a US patent to his credit for the development of cloning vectors of A. mediterranei strains. He has nearly 175 publications in peer reviewed journals with 3197 ISI citations & h-index 30. He along with his collaborators developed a mutant of Amycolatopsis mediterranei that produces an analogue of rifamycin B. The derivatives of this analogue also known as 24-desmethyl rifampicin and 24- desmethylrifamycin S were found to be effective against MDR strains of Mycobacteria. He is the ASM Ambassador to the Indian Ocean Region. He is also a member of several national and international committees: was a member of the review committee for the ASM-IUSSTF Indo – US Professorship in Microbiology. He is also a Member of International Education Committee (IEC), American society for Microbiology. He is the Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, New Delhi (FNA), Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India (FNASc), Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS) and the Fellow of Association of Microbiologists of India (FAMI).

Zoology

Tubercolosis and Lung Diseases

Microbiology

Dr. Ermolaeva has completed her Ph.D from Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology where at present she leads a lab. She performed postdoctoral studies at Complutense University of Madrid and University of Leon. Dr. Ermolaeva is a member of Director Board of International Society for Plasma Medicine. She has published more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and serving as an editorial board member and a reviewer of about 10 repute journals.

Epidemiology and Microbiology

Epidemiology and Microbiology

Epidemiology and Microbiology

Dr Rita Kumar has completed her PhD in 1984 from Delhi University, India. Currently, she is an Emeritus Scientist in CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology at Delhi, India (CSIR is a premier autonomous industrial R&D organization in India). She has also served as Chairman cum Managing Director of National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) at Delhi, India (NRDC is an enterprise under Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India). She has published more than 60 papers and has to her credit 123 patents (98 granted) in the field of environmental biotechnology. She has commercialized two technologies viz., BODSEED and BOD BIOSENSOR – for quick monitoring of wastewater, which are currently in the market.

Genomics and Integrative Biology

Microbiology

Nutrition and Health

Prof. Carlos A. Guzmán (MD, PhD) is head of the department Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and also APL professor at the Hannover Medical School. He studied Medicine at the National University of Rosario and received his specialization in Medical Bacteriology in Argentina. With a scholarship from the Italian Foreign Ministry he then conducted research at the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Genoa, Italy. He acquired his doctorate in Medicine and Surgery, becoming also a doctor in Microbiological Sciences. In 1994 he moved to Germany and became head of the Vaccine Research group at the HZI, formerly GBF. He has been active in the field of Vaccinology since 1989. His work led to the discovery of new adjuvants and the establishment of Salmonella spp. as a delivery system for DNA vaccines and therapeutic molecules. He has published over 160 papers in international journals and is co-inventor of numerous international patents. Prof. Guzmán is part of the editorial board of Infection and Immunity, Microbial Biotechnology, Open Immunology Journal, Current Immunology Reviews, Open Vaccine Journal and Open Microbiology Journal. He is also review editor of Frontiers in Mucosal Immunology, as well as associated editor of Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics. Further he is external Lecturer Doctorate in Biotechnology at the University Catania, Italy. In addition he is speaker of the topic “Immune Response” of the program “Infection and Immunity” of the Helmholtz Alliance.

Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology