Dirk Brenner

Dirk Brenner serves as Full Professor of Immunology and Genetics at the University of Luxembourg through a strategic appointment linking the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) and the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH). He concurrently holds a Professorship in Allergology at the Southern University of Denmark and leads the Experimental & Molecular Immunology lab at LIH while serving as deputy chair of the Department of Infection and Immunity.

His academic foundation spans biochemistry studies at:

• University of Bonn (Germany)
• University of Witten/Herdecke (Germany)
• Stanford University (USA)
• Harvard University (USA)

He completed his PhD and early postdoctoral work at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg under Prof. Peter H. Krammer, followed by Alexander von Humboldt-funded research at Toronto's Ontario Cancer Institute with Prof. Tak W. Mak.

Prof. Brenner's research pioneers the metabolic regulation of immune responses in cancer and inflammatory diseases, utilizing advanced in vivo models to dissect molecular mechanisms. His lab's work has established foundational insights into how cellular metabolism dictates immune cell function and disease progression.

His scientific recognition includes:

• BD Lecture Prize (Canada)
• Annual Award of the Signal Transduction Society (Germany)
• FNR-ATTRACT Consolidator Fellowship (Luxembourg)

As principal investigator of the Experimental & Molecular Immunology lab, he directs cutting-edge research while coordinating NEXTIMMUNE—the national graduate program in immunology. His career has been sustained by competitive funding including four postdoctoral fellowships (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Cancer Research Institute) and the FNR-ATTRACT grant that established his Luxembourg research program.

He actively shapes institutional strategy as a member of LIH's Scientific Steering Committee and through leadership in national research infrastructure development.