Two researchers from the HZI and TU Braunschweig appointed to the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council Melanie Brinkmann and Michael Meyer-Hermann are members of the newly created advisory body

In order to effectively combat the coronavirus, the German government has set up a scientific expert council to advise on future measures against the pandemic. The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and Technische Universität Braunschweig are represented on the panel by two experts, Professor Melanie Brinkmann and Professor Michael Meyer-Hermann. In total, the committee consists of 19 scientists from various disciplines.

The newly appointed Expert Council is to meet weekly and provide scientific advice to the Federal Government with interdisciplinary expertise. “I am proud that with Melanie Brinkmann and Michael Meyer-Hermann, two proven experts from the HZI are represented on this important expert council. Like other HZI experts, they have made highly committed contributions to the transfer of knowledge to the general public since the beginning of the pandemic, in addition to their own research activities on Covid-19,” emphasises Professor Dirk Heinz, Scientific Director of the HZI.

“Melanie Brinkmann and Michael Meyer-Hermann are making exemplary contributions to the public discourse. It takes courage and commitment to describe and explain science and its implications so clearly in a highly relevant discipline that is developing at an enormous pace. With them, the Expert Council has gained two highly competent and committed members,” says Professor Angela Ittel, President of TU Braunschweig.

The virologist Melanie Brinkmann is a professor at the Institute of Genetics at Technische Universität Braunschweig and heads the research group “Viral Immune Modulation” at the HZI. Her research includes the spread of SARS-CoV-2 via aerosols. Michael Meyer-Hermann is a physicist and heads the HZI department “Systems Immunology” at BRICS (Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology), a joint research facility of Technische Universität Braunschweig and the HZI. He models the course of the pandemic and uses the knowledge gained to predict and evaluate the rate of new infections.