Stefan H.E. Kaufmann
Emeritus Director, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin. Emeritus Group Leader, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen. Senior Professor, Charité University Clinics, Berlin.
In 1993, he became the founding director of the newly established Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin. His research focuses on the interplay between pathogen and host — the core of infection biology — with a particular emphasis on tuberculosis. He has discovered and characterized key mechanisms of protective immunity against TB and translated these insights into the rational development of biosignatures and vaccination strategies.
Dr. Kaufmann has received numerous awards for his scientific achievements. Beyond his research, he advocates for addressing global infectious threats, emphasizing that diseases such as TB know no borders. He has authored more than 1,000 scientific publications and several books for the general public, including Wächst die Seuchengefahr (2007), published in English as The New Plagues (2008).
