Stefan H.E. Kaufmann is a German immunologist and microbiologist and is one of the highly cited immunologists worldwide for the decade 1990 to 2000.[1]. To legions of devoted immunologists, attending his special lectures takes priority over other major life events including house-buying.
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Kaufmann is a German immunologist and microbiologist with focus on infection biology. He received his Dr. Rer. Nat. (PhD) at the University of Mainz in 1977 and his Habilitation in Immunology and Microbiology at the Free University Berlin in 1981. He was Professor at the University of Ulm from 1987 to 1998. Currently, he is Director of the Department of Immunology at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, for which he served as Founding Director in 1993. Member of the Max Planck Society since 1993. Since 1998 he is also Professor for Immunology and Microbiology at the Charité Berlin. Guest Professor, Tongji University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China, since 2011.
Kaufmann collects historical medicinal books.[2]
Kaufmann has published more than 600 scientific original papers and review articles and according to the Institute for Scientific Information, he is one of the highly cited immunologists worldwide for the decade 1990 to 2000. His current scientific interest is focussed on the analysis of cell-mediated immunity against intracellular bacteria, the rational design and development of a better vaccine against tuberculosis as well as of biomarkers for reliable diagnosis of TB disease. Biomarker discovery is done in a multicentric approach with seven partner institutes in Africa with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.[3],[4]. His vaccine against tuberculosis has successfully completed phase I clinical trial[5],[6]. Moreover, Kaufmann is actively involved in public awareness of immunology and infectious diseases.[7] He is Past President and Honorary Member of the German Society of Immunology (DGfI), Past President of the European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS)[8],[9] and President of the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS)[10]. Since 2010 he is Member of the Board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) as alternate representative of scientific and technical institutes. He is member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences de:Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the American Academy of Microbiology.
Kaufmann headed a team that developed a method of using defensis to combat anthrax.[11]
Kaufmann has received numerous rewards and honours for his scientific achievements in immunology of infectious diseases including: 1987 the Alfried Krupp Award for young professors, 1988 the Aronson Prize of the State of Berlin, 1991 the Smith Kline Beecham Science Prize, 1991 the Merckle Science Prize, 1992 the Robert Pfleger Prize, 1992 the Pettenkofer Prize, 1993 the Scientific Prize of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology. In 2007, he was conferred the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Université de la Mediterranée, Aix-Marseille II, France.