Curriculum vitae

Main Research Areas
  • Infection biology of human pathogenic fungi
  • Molecular biotechnology / synthetic biotechnology of microbial compounds
  • Microbial communication
  • Eukaryotic gene regulation / transcription factors
Professional Career
since 2005  Scientific Director, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (Leibniz-HKI) Jena
since 2005 Head of Department Molecular and Applied Microbiology, Leibniz-HKI Jena
since 2004 Professor (C4/W3) and chair in microbiology and molecular biology, Institute for Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
2001-2004 Professor (C4) and chair in microbiology, Leibniz University Hanover
1998-2001 Professor (C3) in microbiology, Technical University Darmstadt
1996 Habilitation in microbiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
1992-1998 Research assistant (C1), Institute for Genetics and Microbiology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
1990-1992 Research assistant, The University of Sheffield, UK, funded through postdoc grants of the DFG
1989-1990 Group head, Biotechnology, BASF AG, Ludwigshafen
1989 Dr. rer. nat. in microbiology, „summa cum laude“ University Münster and Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique (IBPC) Paris
1985 Studies in biology/chemistry, diploma in biology at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
since 2020  Vice President of the DFG
since 2020 Head of section 13 "Microbiology and Immunology" and Senator in the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
since 2020 Board of Directors, Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI)
since 2020 Founding member and Board of Directors "Incate" Incubator for Antibacterial Therapies in Europe
since 2019 Member of the scientific panel of the Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg
since 2019 Member of the foundation board of the Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy (LIT), Regensburg
2019-2022 Spokesperson of the Excellence Cluster "Balance of the Microverse" (DFG)
since 2018 Member of the scientific panel of the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Münster
since 2017 Member of the Steering Committee DZIF/TTU Novel Antibiotics
since 2017 Elected member of the American Academy of Microbiology
since 2017 Member of the scientific panel of the Robert Koch Foundation (RKS), Berlin
since 2017 Member of the scientific panel of the MRC Medical Mycology Centre, Exeter, UK
since 2016 Member of the Clusterboard RIS3 Thüringen
since 2016 Member of the scientific panel of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (MPIIB), Berlin
2016-2020 Spokesperson of the Leibniz Research Cluster “Biotechnologie 2020+“
since 2015 Elected member of the European Academy of Microbiology
since 2015 Honorary member of the Deutschsprachige Mykologische Gesellschaft e.V. (DMykG)
2014 Main Research Award of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM)
since 2013 Spokesperson of the SFB/Transregio 124 FungiNet (DFG)
2013-2020 Deputy representative of the Leibniz-Research-Alliance Compounds and Biotechnology
since 2013 Board member of the research campus “InfectoGnostics” (BMBF)
since 2012 Spokesperson of the consortium “InfectControl 2020 – New Anti-infection Strategies – Science • Society • Economy” in the BMBF-programme “Zwanzig 20 – Partnership for Innovation”
2012-2016 Representative of the DFG-Professional Council 204 Microbiology, Immunology, Virology
2010-2012 Board member of the Integriertes Forschungs- und Behandlungszentrum “Center for Sepsis Control and Care” (CSCC) at the University Hospital Jena
2010-2018 Authorised commissioner of the Leibniz Association for Biotechnology
2010-2018 Member of the scientific panel of the Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig
2010-2018 Member of the scientific panel of the Institute for Pharmaceutical Research (HIPS), Saarbrücken
2010-2020 Member of the scientific panel of the Research Centre Borstel, Borstel
2010-2017 Member of the scientific panel of the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Halle
2009-2017 Supervisory Board Leibniz-Institute DSMZ – German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig
2009-2016 Member of the scientific panel of the Research Center for Infectious Diseases (ZINF), Würzburg
2009-2011 President of the Vereinigung für Allgemeine und Angewandte Mikrobiologie (VAAM)
2008-2019 Member of the university council (reappointment 2011+2015) at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena
2008-2016 Member of the DFG-Professional Council 204 Microbiology, Immunology, Virology
2008 Appointed member of the Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften, Leopoldina
2007-2016 Liaison Officer for scientific misconduct at the FSU Jena
2007-2020 Spokesperson of the excellence graduate school „Jena School for Microbial Communication” (JSMC)
2006-2008 Spokesperson of the graduate school "International Leibniz Research School (ILRS) for microbial and biomolecular interactions“
2006 Heinz-Seeliger award for infection biology
since 2005 Scientific panel "Goettinger Center for Molecular Bio/Sciences" (GZMB), Georg-August-University Göttingen
2005-2022 Member of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
2004-2010 Representative of the DFG Priority Programme 1160 "Colonisation and Infection by Human-pathogenic Fungi"
2003-2010 Scientific panel „Center for Microbial Biotechnology“ DTU Copenhagen, Denmark
2003-2009 Member in the programme committee of the DFG Priority Programme 1152 "Evolution of Metabolic Diversity"
2003-2004 Dean, faculty biology, Leibniz-University Hanover
2002-2006,
2009-2020
Member of the scientific panel of the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Würzburg
since 1998 Editor of several magazines
since 1995 Principal investigator in EU projects

Publications

Valiante V, Heinekamp T, Jain R, Härtl A, Brakhage AA (2008) The mitogen-activated protein kinase MpkA of Aspergillus fumigatus regulates cell wall signaling and oxidative stress response. Fungal Genet Biol 45(5), 618-627.
Behnsen J, Narang P, Hasenberg M, Gunzer F, Bilitewski U, Klippel N, Rohde M, Brock M, Brakhage AA, Gunzer M (2007) Environmental dimensionality controls the interaction of phagocytes with the pathogenic fungi Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans. PLOS Pathog 3(2), e13.
Bergmann S, Schümann J, Scherlach K, Lange C, Brakhage AA, Hertweck C (2007) Genomics-driven discovery of PKS-NRPS hybrid metabolites from Aspergillus nidulans. Nat Chem Biol 3(4), 213-217.
da Silva Ferreira ME, Heinekamp T, Härtl A, Brakhage AA, Semighini CP, Harris SD, Savoldi M, de Gouvêa PF, de Souza Goldman MH, Goldman GH (2007) Functional characterization of the Aspergillus fumigatus calcineurin. Fungal Genet Biol 44(3), 219-230.
Guthke R, Kniemeyer O, Albrecht D, Brakhage AA, Moeller U (2007) Discovery of gene regulatory networks in Aspergillus fumigatus. Lect Notes Bioinf 4366,
Hortschansky P, Eisendle M, Al-Abdallah Q, Schmidt AD, Bergmann S, Thön M, Kniemeyer O, Abt B, Seeber B, Werner ER, Kato M, Brakhage AA, Haas H (2007) Interaction of HapX with the CCAAT-binding complex--a novel mechanism of gene regulation by iron. EMBO J 26(13), 3157-3168.
Lessing F, Kniemeyer O, Wozniok I, Loeffler J, Kurzai O, Haertl A, Brakhage AA (2007) The Aspergillus fumigatus transcriptional regulator AfYap1 represents the major regulator for defense against reactive oxygen intermediates but is dispensable for pathogenicity in an intranasal mouse infection model. Eukaryot Cell 6(12), 2290-2302.
Luther K, Torosantucci A, Brakhage AA, Heesemann J, Ebel F (2007) Phagocytosis of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia by murine macrophages involves recognition by the dectin-1 beta-glucan receptor and Toll-like receptor 2. Cell Microbiol 9(2), 368-381.
Schöbel F, Ibrahim-Granet O, Avé P, Latgé JP, Brakhage AA, Brock M (2007) Aspergillus fumigatus does not require fatty acid metabolism via isocitrate lyase for development of invasive aspergillosis. Infect Immun 75(3), 1237-1244.
Spröte P, Brakhage AA (2007) The light-dependent regulator velvet A of Aspergillus nidulans acts as a repressor of the penicillin biosynthesis. Arch Microbiol 188(1), 69-79.

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