Leitung

Biosketch and Research

Dirk Haller is Director of the Institute for Food & Health (ZIEL) and Professor for Nutrition and Immunology (Chair) at the Technical University of Munich. He received his academic training at the University of Hohenheim, graduating in Nutrition Science and Food Technology, and completed his education with a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology. Following periods of research in Switzerland (Nestlé Research Center) and USA (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), he received an Emmy Noether carreer award from the German Research Foundation (DFG) to work at TUM. He declined international professorships in Canada (University of Alberta) and Switzerland (ETH Zurich) and is Kavli Frontiers of Science alumni (US National Academy of Science and Humboldt Foundation). He recently received the Main Award of the German Society of Medical Microbiology (DGHM).

His research aims to gain a better understanding of microbe-host interactions in gut health and the pathogenesis of chronic intestinal disorders. Nutrition and the intestinal microbiota are interrelated environmental factors and play a pivotal role in the development of complex pathologies, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). The intestinal epithelium provides a dynamic interface for the integration of nutritional and microbial factors, and cell stress responses (unfolded protein responses; UPR) are key targets in the regulation of gut homeostasis.  Novel gnotobiotic mouse models are used to address basic and translational research with clinical application.

Prof. Haller currently coordinates the national priority program of the German Research Foundation (DFG) on “Intestinal microbiota” and the local DFG graduate program “Gut interface function” at the TUM School of Life Sciences in Weihenstephan.

Head of Coordinated Research Programs:

• German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Coordinated Research for Innovation in Food Science (2009-2014), Impact of high fat diet on gut functions and metabolic disorders (1.3 Mio €)
• German Research Foundation (DFG), PhD Training Program GRK 1482 (2011-2015), Interface function of the intestine between luminal factors and host signals (2.3 Mio €)
• German Research Foundation (DFG), Priority Program SPP 1656 (2013-2019), Intestinal Microbiota: a microbial ecosystem at the edge between immune homeostasis and inflammation (16 Mio €)
• EU Joint Action “Intestinal Microbiomics“ of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Healthy Diet for a Healthy LifeDINAMIC – Diet-induced Arrangement of the gut Microbiome for improvement of Cardiometabolic healthJoint Programming Initiative (2016 – 2019)

Teaching:

• Basics in Immunology
• Biofunctionality of Food
• Nutrition and Microbe-Host Interaction
• Experimental Immunology
• Food and Health

Selected Memberships:

• German Society of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene (DGHM)
• German Society of Mucosal Immunology and Microbiome (DGMIM)
• European Network of Excellence on Nutrigenomics
• Member of the reviewer Committee of the Leibniz Society
• Member of the BMBF Road Map Committee
• German American Frontiers of Science at the National Acadamy of Sciences
• ILSI Expert Group on Probiotics
• ILSI Expert Group on Biomarkers of Inflammation
• European Science Foundation Forward Look
• Editor of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD)
• European Research Council (ERC) Panel Head