International distinction for Axel Brakhage

Axel Brakhage has been elected by an independent commission to the internationally renowned American Academy of Microbiology due to his outstanding scientific achievements.

There are numerous reasons for this achievement:

Axel Brakhage (Project A1) contributes to the advancement of microbiology through his research on fungal natural products and their applications. At the same time through his research we obtain a better understanding of the pathogenicity mechanisms of pathogenic fungi and by this also the development of essential therapies. As chair of microbiology and molecular biology at the University of Jena and director of the HKI he aims to join scientists of different disciplines to constructive collaborations.

Axel Brakhage always has advocated the close partnership of the University and the University Hospital and already initiated many collaborations: The graduate school “Jena School for Microbial Communication” - the only excellence project in Thuringia so far - as well as “FungiNet” - the first collaborative research center, in which scientists from Jena and Würzburg work exclusively on pathogenic fungi - demonstrate his strong commitment to collaborations.

Thus, there are many reasons for this distinction and the HKI-director was delighted, when he was informed of his appointment. “The admittance to this international circle of leading researchers confirms our work and encourages us to continue our research on this socially important topic.”

Furthermore, Axel Brakhage emphasizes the importance of this recognition for the science city Jena: “The appointment demonstrates that our efforts to establish Jena as an international renowned location for excellent microbiology research are successful. We are administered by international experts and they also enjoy visiting Jena. Especially in these politically turbulent times it is important to have international research collaborations as a guarantor for factual-based communication and international understanding“.

The American Academy of Microbiology is the leadership group of the American Society for Microbiology, which enjoys a long tradition. This research organization counts 50.000 members and is one of the oldest and largest life science professional organization in the world. As a new Academy member, Axel Brakhage joins a long tradition with leading colleagues from the US, Australia, Canada, India, China and  the U. K.