About
Thomas Berlage is Professor for Life Science Informatics at RWTH Aachen University and Head of the Department of Life Science Informatics (now Digital Health) at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT) in Sankt Augustin. He holds a joint appointment since 2002 and is a founding member of the B-IT Master's program in Life Science Informatics.
His educational background includes:
- Diploma in Computer Science, University of Bonn (1988)
- Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Paderborn (1993)
- Habilitation, Technical University of Berlin (2001)
His research focuses on managing image-based knowledge and life science informatics, with applications in medical diagnosis, therapy support, drug discovery, and molecular biology. Key areas include software architecture, data modeling, image analysis, visual data mining, user interface development, and enhanced reality.
Prof. Berlage has led and contributed to numerous high-impact projects such as ExPrimage, SALUS, AI-Net-Protect, and genomDE. He has played leadership roles in national and EU-funded initiatives, including serving as Coordinator of the expert panel for genomDE under the German Ministry of Health and as Coordinator for 'Life Science & Healthcare' in the Fraunhofer Alliance 'Big Data & KI'.
Notable scientific contributions and recognitions include:
- Speaker, DFG Clinical Research Group 217 'Toponomics of Liver Diseases' (2010–2015)
- Member, Advisory Board of RWTH Aachen University Biobank (2013)
- Co-author, VDI Guideline 6320 'Data Management in the Life Sciences' (2017)
- Speaker, Working Group 'Informatics' in genomDE (2021–2024)
- Executive Board Member, genomDE Project (2021–2024)
He has secured and led research grants from DFG, BMBF, EU, and industry partners like Bayer AG. His work bridges academia and applied research through the Fraunhofer model, emphasizing translational digital health solutions.
Prof. Berlage leads a research group within Informatik 5 at RWTH Aachen and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams across medicine, biology, and computer science. His lab focuses on developing scalable, modular software platforms for healthcare and life sciences, including laboratory information systems and telemedicine applications.
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