Susanne Hartmann

Susanne Hartmann is a Professor of Infectious Immunology and Director of the Institute of Immunology at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin. She has held this W3 professorship since October 2015, following a DFG Heisenberg Professorship (2011-2016) in the same field. Her academic career spans over two decades with previous positions at Humboldt University Berlin as Oberassistentin and Arbeitsgruppenleiterin (2005-2010), where she also completed her Habilitation in Parasitology (2004).

Her research focuses on the immunology of parasitic infections, particularly nematode infections and host-parasite interactions. Dr. Hartmann's work explores how parasites like Ascaris modulate host immune responses, the relationship between parasites and the microbiome, and the metabolic interactions between hosts and parasites. Her laboratory employs advanced techniques including two-photon microscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging, and detailed immunological analyses in both murine and porcine models.

Analysis of her recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a strong emphasis on Ascaris research, particularly examining immune responses to larval stages, the impact of nematode infections on co-infections with bacteria like Salmonella, and the metabolic adaptations of both parasites and hosts. Her work increasingly incorporates advanced imaging techniques to study host-parasite interactions at the cellular and molecular levels, with significant focus on Th2 immunity, T cell responses, and microbiome-parasite interactions.

Dr. Hartmann has received several prestigious awards including membership in the Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences (2018), the Innovationspreis of the Stiftung Familie Klee (2018), and the Teaching Award of the Free University Berlin (2018). Her DFG Heisenberg Professorship (2011-2016) recognized her exceptional research potential early in her independent career.

She actively mentors doctoral students, with recent successful thesis defenses by Robert Mugendi Mugo and Zaneta Musimbi Kidiavai in 2025. Her research group maintains strong international collaborations, particularly with institutions in Kenya and Belgium, and she frequently presents at major parasitology conferences worldwide.

As Director of the Institute of Immunology at the Center for Infectious Diseases (Robert von Ostertag House), she leads a research team investigating fundamental aspects of infectious immunology with translational applications in veterinary and potentially human medicine.