Main Research Areas
- Host-pathogen interactions of human pathogenic fungi
- Automated processing of microscopic images and spectroscopy data
- Spatiotemporal computer simulations of virtual infection models
Professional Career
- since 2025 Head of Department Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz-HKI
- since 2021 Professor (W3) for Applied Systems Biology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
- 2011-2025 Head of Research Group Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz-HKI
- 2011-2021 Professor (W2) for Applied Systems Biology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena
- 2005-2010 Junior Fellow in Theoretical Immunology at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) of the Goethe University Frankfurt
- 2001-2005 Research assistant in Computer Physics at the University Groningen (NL)
- 2000 Dr. rer. nat. in Physics at the University Groningen (NL)
- 1995 Diploma in Physics at the University Dortmund
Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities
Awards
- 2026 Science Award in the Life Sciences and Physics, in the category ‘Excellent Interdisciplinary Project,’ presented by Beubenberg Campus e.V.
- 2011 – 2017 Adjunct Fellow at Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS)
Scientific Activities and Functions
- since 2026 PI and member of the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center 1768 VirusREvolution
- since 2026 PI and member of the DFG-funded Excellence Cluster 2051 “Balance of the Microverse”
- since 2026 Speaker of the „Jena School for Microbial Communication”
- since 2025 Editor: Methods in Microscopy
- since 2023 Board Member and Coordinator of Task Area “Bioimage Informatics” in the DFG-funded national research data management initiative “NFDI4Bioimage”
- since 2023 Board Member and PI in the DFG-Research Training School RTG 2723 – “Materials-Microbes-Microenvironments”
- 2023-2025 Board Member of the Beutenberg Campus e.V. “Life Science meets Physics”
- since 2023 Editor: PLOS Complex Systems
- 2023-2025 Editor: Biological Imaging
- since 2022 Coordinator of Basic Technology 3 in the BMBF-funded “Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research”
- 2022-2025 Coordinator of the BMBF-funded “Multi-Model-Simulator Project” in the funding line “Computational Life Sciences”
- 2021-2026 Deputy Coordinator of the “Jena School for Microbial Communication”
- 2019-2025 Coordinator of Research Area C – Data Synopsis in the Excellence Cluster “Balance of the Microverse”
- 2019-2025 Member of the Management Board of the Microverse Imaging Center in the Excellence Cluster “Balance of the Microverse”
- since 2019 Speaker and PI of Leibniz ScienceCampus “InfectoOptics”
- since 2019 Editor: Scientific Reports
- since 2017 Ombudsperson at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology
- 2017-2026 PI and member of the DFG-Collaborative Research Center 1278 PolyTarget
- since 2017 Editor: Cytometry A
- since 2015 Member: Jena Center for Soft Matter
- since 2015 Member: Michael Stifel Center for Data-Driven and Simulation Science
- 2014-2025 PI and member of the DFG-Collaborative Research Center 124 FungiNet
- since 2012 Organizer: Biennial international symposium on “Image-based Systems Biology” (IbSB)
- since 2011 Organizer: Biennial international symposium on “Systems Biology of Microbial Infection” (SBMI)
- since 2011 Faculty member and PI in the “International Leibniz Research School for Microbial and Biomolecular Interactions”
- since 2011 Faculty member and PI in the “Jena School for Microbial Communication”