Appointments

The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Germany, has appointed Professor Josef Penninger as scientific director.

Penninger has previously worked as founding director at the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria; professor at the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, Canada; and director of the Life Sciences Institute at the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Professor Otmar D Wiestler, president of the Helmholtz Association, added: “We would like to express a warm welcome to Josef Penninger to the Helmholtz Association and wish him good luck and success with his new responsibilities at the HZI. His expertise in genetics and molecular biology and his international experience are excellent preconditions for strengthening internal health research at Helmholtz. With his ambitious plans, Josef Penninger will actively take part in building the bridge from foundational research to medical applications.”

Penninger stated: “I am very excited about the new challenges and opportunities at HZI. The HZI is a great place for research in infection biology with great scientists and a great organisation.

Now it is time to make the next step – to position HZI as the best international centre for infection research in the world. To accomplish this, we now build the right steps to execute on this vision, including the creation of multiple new research positions to refresh the HZI community with the best young minds from all around the world. We will also develop a unique programme on technology fellows, to make Germany a world-leader in research innovation in infection biology with the potential to develop radically new and personalised therapies and to establish unicorn companies.”