Hanne Ingmer

Kort præsentation

I am interested in antimicrobial resistance and novel approaches to target resistant bacterial pathogens. In my research group we focus on understanding how bacteria withstand antimicrobial compounds and how resistance affect the basic biology of bacteria. Concentrating on Staphylococcus aureus we examine intrinsic resistance to antimicrobial compounds and the surprising ability of sub-populations of pathogens to tolerate high concentrations of antibiotics without being killed. Also, we are interested in how bacteriophages contribute to the transmission of antimicrobial resistance and how they in general shape the biology of pathogens under adverse conditions. As an approach to ultimately treat infections with antibiotic resistant pathogens we explore compounds and bacteria that modulate virulence gene expression though inhibition of quorum sensing systems. Hygiene is a measure to limit bacterial infections and here biocide tolerance is a research theme for several pathogens including methicillin resistant S. aureus, the MRSA and vancomycin resistance enterococci, the VRE.

CV

CV

Education and employment

1987:               M. Sc. in Engineering, Chemistry from the Technical University of Denmark.

1990:               Ph.D. from Department of Microbiology, Technical University of Denmark

1990-95:         Postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford working with mobile genetic elements

1995- 1997:    Associate research professor at Department of Food Science, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark

1998 - 2004:   Associate professor at the Dept. of Veterinary Disease Biology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark working with lactic acid bacteria

2004 -:            Professor in Microbial Food safety and Zoonosis at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Publications cover more than 150 peer-reviewed papers published in international journals (h-factor: 34, ISI Web of knowledge). Most cited publication has 350 citations and publications have in total been cited 4000 times. >150 international conference poster contributions with >50 as first or last author. Three book chapters. Articles in food news magazines and other information material (in Danish) (10). Oral and invited presentations at conferences and symposia (>20).

Awards and research funding obtained from The Research Council for Strategic Research, Technology and Production; The Research Council for Strategic Research, Nature and Universe; Research Council for Independent Research; Lundbeck foundation; EU framework program 6; EU framework program 7, US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries; The Danish Dairy Foundation with funds exceeding 80 mill DKr.

International collaboration includes Stanford University; Emory University, Atlanta; Skirball Institute, New York; Oxford University, UK; Sheffield University, UK; University College Cork, Ireland; Tübingen University, Germany; Ernst Arendt Moritz University, Germany; University of Helsinki, Finland. In addition collaboration with Prof. Dr. Ada Yonath, Weizmann Institute who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 2009 for determining the crystal structure of the ribosome.

Supervision and teaching > 90 B.Sc. and M.Sc. students, 26 PhD students (main or co-supervisor) and 11 post docs in the areas of biotechnology, molecular microbiology, food science and safety and veterinary science, food science. Member of > 30 PhD thesis committees.

Teaching includes courses in microbial food safety on the Veterinary curriculum and the Food Science curriculum; Molecular Biology of pathogens on Biotechnology curriculum and PhD course in Molecular Biology of pathogens. Responsible for the veterinary master curriculum in Food Safety at the University of Copenhagen. Responsible for the post-graduate, update course in food safety required for compliance with the EU 854 attended by all veterinarians in Denmark.

Appointed Teacher of the Year, 2012.

Research and General Management: Head of the section Microbial Food Safety, Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, University of Copenhagen (2004 till present, Member of the board at Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Royal Veterinary & Agricultural University (2002-2004), Academic member of the committee for promoting cooperation between technical, administrative and scientific personnel “LSU”, 2002-2004. April 2006 - January 2007 head of Microbiology within IVP with more than 60 employees. Research area leader in the European 6^th framework Integrated project, Biotracer. Member of the research committee (FOKO) of The Centre for Advanced Food Studies covering food research in Denmark. Chairman of the Microbial Food Network (2005-2009) and responsible for the Annual Microbial Food Symposium with > 60 participants and international speakers. Co-organizer of FoodMicro 2010, Copenhagen with more than 600 participants Co-organizer of the NordForsk Advanced Course for PhD students, post docs and young scientists in “Microorganisms and Health: Intestinal Bacteria, Probiotics and Pathogens” 10.06. 2008 -16.06. 2008 and 2011 on molecular typing techniques.

Other commitments:

Member of The Danish Research Council for Independent Research, Technology and Production, 2008-2013; member of its Executive board since 2011; Vice-chairman 2012-2013.

Member of the Innovation foundation, Denmark as of 2015 granting industrial postdocs and PhD stipends.

Associate editor of Microbiology, The Society of General Microbiology; Editor PlosOne; Associate and Guest editor of International Journal Food Microbiology; Reviewer for PNAS; Molecular Microbiology; Journal of Bacteriology; AEM; International Journal of Food Microbiology, Infection & Immunity, Microbiology, Proteomics, Clinical Microbiology and Infection and Genome Biology; Research evaluator for INRA, France and reviewer of grant applications to Irish Health Research Board, Swedish Vetenskabsrätet and French research council Iserm, Institute nationale de la sante et de la researche medicale.