Jörn Walter

Prof. Dr. Jörn Walter serves as a Senior Professor for Genetics and Epigenetics at Saarland University's Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology. His laboratory investigates epigenetic mechanisms across development and disease states, with particular emphasis on DNA methylation, chromatin dynamics, and epigenomic mapping of cell types.

• Member of the International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC)
• Coordinator of the German Epigenome Program
• Director of an in-house Sequencing Facility (HiSeq2500, Mi-Seq, Nextseq-500)

Research focuses include:

• Epigenetic programming during cellular differentiation
• DNA methylation dynamics in disease contexts
• Stem cell epigenetics and reprogramming
• Evolution of epigenetic mechanisms

Recent publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches combining next-generation sequencing, bioinformatic modeling, and clinical epigenetics, with particular attention to immune cell development, metabolic disease epigenetics, and computational epigenomics. The group maintains collaborations with the West German Sequencing Center and contributes to epigenetic data standardization efforts.

Lab members include active researchers like Dr. Nina Gasparoni, Dr. Gilles Gasparoni, and M.Sc. Alea Leismann, alongside an extensive alumni network of former advisees who have advanced epigenetic research in various institutions.