Judith Margarete Gottwein

Judith Margarete Gottwein is Professor at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She also serves as Afdelingslæge at the Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP) in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre. Her research group focuses on basic and translational virology, with long-term emphasis on hepatitis C virus (HCV) and more recent work on SARS-CoV-2.

• Medical Doctor Degree (MD), Heidelberg University (2001)
• Doctoral Degree (Dr. med.), Heidelberg University (2001)
• License to Practice Independently as a Medical Doctor in Germany (2003)
• License to Practice and License to Practice Independently as a Medical Doctor in Denmark (2005)

Professor Gottwein's research spans virology with a focus on hepatitis C virus and SARS-CoV-2. Her team pioneered development of HCV cell culture systems for major genotypes and is developing whole virus inactivated HCV vaccine candidates. They study neutralizing antibodies, antiviral efficacy, and resistance mechanisms. Recent work includes development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate and studies of antivirals against emerging variants.

Her publication record shows a consistent focus on viral genetics, vaccine development, and antiviral resistance. Recent articles demonstrate her group's leadership in developing HCV vaccine candidates that induce cross-genotype neutralizing antibodies and in studying resistance mechanisms for both HCV and SARS-CoV-2 antivirals. The research combines molecular virology, immunology, and translational approaches to address pressing public health challenges.

• EASL Prizes (2007, 2009)
• International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses Prizes (2007, 2008, 2010)
• German Academic Scholarship Foundation Fellowship (1994-2001)
• Multiple invited presentations at major international conferences

Professor Gottwein has supervised numerous students including 7 Master's students, 8 completed PhD students, and 6 ongoing PhD students. She has led research projects funded by Innovation Fund Denmark, Independent Research Foundation Denmark, The Carlsberg Foundation, The Novo Nordisk Foundation, and other major funding bodies. Her management experience includes establishing research facilities at CO-HEP that grew from 3 to over 50 members since 2005.

She leads the CO-HEP research group at the University of Copenhagen, which has developed from a small team to a major virology research center with over 50 members. Her laboratory specializes in cell culture systems for HCV and SARS-CoV-2, vaccine development, and antiviral resistance studies. The group maintains extensive national and international collaborations with institutions across Europe, North America, and Asia.