Main Research Areas

• Host-pathogen interaction of human pathogenic fungi
• Automated processing of microscopic images and spectroscopy data
• Spatiotemporal computer simulations of agent-based infection models

Professional Career

• since 2021 Professor (W3) for Applied Systems Biology, Friedrich Schiller University Jenasince
• 2011 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

• 2011 – 2017 Adjunct Fellow at Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS)

Scientific Activities and Functions

• 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”
• since 2023 Board Member of the Beutenberg Campus e.V. “Life Science meets Physics”
• since 2023 Editor: PLOS Complex Systems
• since 2023 Editor: Biological Imaging
• since 2022 Coordinator of Basic Technology 3 in the BMBF-funded “Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research”
• since 2022 Coordinator of the BMBF-funded “Multi-Model-Simulator Project” in the funding line “Computational Life Sciences”
• since 2021 Deputy Coordinator of the “Jena School for Microbial Communication”
• since 2019 Coordinator of Research Area C – Data Synopsis in the Excellence Cluster “Balance of the Microverse”
• since 2019 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
• since 2017 PI and member of the DFG-Collaborative Research Center 1278 PolyTarget
• since 2017 Editor: Cytometry Asince 2015Member: Jena Center for Soft Matter
• since 2015 Member: Michael Stifel Center for Data-Driven and Simulation Science
• since 2014 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”