Barbara Maier

Barbara Maier serves as a Senior Postdoc in the Food Biopolymer Chemistry research group at the Leibniz-Institute for Food Systems Biology, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, focusing on protein composition of food crops and wheat-related disorders since 2024. Her career spans postdoctoral roles at KIT (2021-2024), PhD research at TUM (2015-2020), and research fellowships at Leibniz-LSB@TUM (2015-2018).

Education:

• PhD (Dr. rer. nat.), TUM School of Natural Sciences (2020)
• Research stay, Molecular Analysis Group, CSIRO, Brisbane (2018)

Her research centers on structure-functionality-activity relationships in cereal proteins, fundamental mechanisms of celiac disease, and bioactivity of peptides in wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (WDEIA). She integrates food chemistry, analytical chemistry, proteomics, and immunological assays to develop analytical strategies for studying food protein structure and immunological activity, with emphasis on alternative plant proteins and targeted/untargeted proteomics.

Her 2017-2024 publications reveal a consistent focus on gluten protein characterization from wheat/rye/barley using advanced mass spectrometry, with growing emphasis on diagnostic methods for wheat allergy and molecular mechanisms of food immune disorders. Key trends include isopeptide bond analysis in celiac disease and cellular in vitro testing for sensitization profiles.

Award highlights:

• ConYS grant for Young Food Proteomics Conference organization (2022)
• TUM Graduate School Internationalization & Mobility Grants (2017)
• GDCh travel grant for Lorne Proteomics Symposium (2017)
• WIG Student Award for master's thesis (2016)

As a postdoctoral researcher, Maier secures competitive grants for conference organization and international collaboration but has no listed advisees. Her leadership roles include organizing the Young Food Proteomics Scientists Conference and serving as PhD representative in the Leibniz PhD Network. She leverages the institute's integrated analytical technologies and data management infrastructure for protein research.

Her work operates within Leibniz-LSB@TUM's Food Biopolymer Chemistry group, utilizing advanced facilities for chemoreceptor-mediated biology studies and food systems analysis, with strong connections to TUM's research ecosystem and international collaborators like CSIRO.