Thomas F. Hofmann

Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann is a Full Professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), holding the Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensory Science within the TUM School of Life Sciences. He specializes in analyzing sensory-active, bioactive, and technofunctional compounds in foods and their human metabolism. His career includes roles as Deputy Director at the German Research Institute for Food Chemistry (Leibniz), Professor and Institute Director at the University of Münster (2002–2007), and since 2007, leadership positions at TUM including Vice President for Research and Innovation (2009–2019) and currently serving as TUM's President since 2019.

• Education: PhD (1995) and Habilitation (1998) in Chemistry from TUM
• Key Affiliations: ZIEL Institute for Food and Health (since 2007), Bavarian Center for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry (co-director since 2015), and Senior Visiting Professor at Chulalongkorn University (2015–2018)

His research emphasizes high-throughput analytical methods for food compounds, toxin detection (e.g., Bacillus cereus toxins), and applications of mass spectrometry. He co-founded EIT Food (2016), a European innovation initiative for sustainable food systems.

Awards:

• University Manager of the Year (2023)
• ACS Advancement in Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2014)
• ACS Fellow Award (2008)
• Firmenich Science Award (2002)

Grants and leadership span academic administration, international consortia, and industry collaborations. His work bridges fundamental food science with practical applications in health and technology.