Silvia Gschwendtner

Dr. Silvia Gschwendtner serves as Head of the Working Group "Human Microbiomes" at the Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis (COMI), Helmholtz Munich. Her research focuses on microbiome functionality in health and disease, utilizing high-throughput sequencing to identify keystone taxa and develop therapeutic strategies.

Her academic credentials include:

• Diploma in Biology
• PhD in Natural Sciences

Research interests center on human microbiome roles in metabolism and immunity, with investigations spanning clinical contexts (preterm birth, asthma, atopic dermatitis) and environmental systems (agroforestry, Arctic tundra). She pioneers bioinformatics pipelines for core microbiome identification and emphasizes cross-body-site microbial interactions.

Recent publications reveal an interdisciplinary trajectory from neonatal outcomes to ecosystem responses, highlighting dysbiosis mechanisms across diverse hosts and environments through integrated multi-omics approaches.

Leading the Human Microbiomes working group, she directs cohort-based studies assessing health-disease drivers while advancing methodologies for microbiome functionality analysis and keystone species targeting.