Stefan H. E. Kaufmann

Stefan Hugo Ernst Kaufmann (born 8 June 1948 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany) is a German immunologist and microbiologist, recognized as one of the most highly cited immunologists worldwide for the decade 1990–2000.^[1]

Kaufmann received his Dr. rer. nat. (PhD) at the University of Mainz in 1977 and habilitated in immunology and microbiology at the Free University Berlin in 1981. He was a student of immunologist Paul Klein. He served as professor at the University of Ulm (C3, 1987–1991; C4, 1991–1998). In 1993 he became founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, where he is director emeritus since 2019. ^[2] He leads an emeritus group on systems immunology at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen. Since 1998, he is also professor for immunology and microbiology at Charité Berlin and was appointed Senior Professor in 2022. He became Faculty Fellow at the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, Texas A&M University, in 2018.^[3] Kaufmann collects historical medical books.^[4]

Kaufmann has published over 1000 original and review articles. He has an h-index >160 (Google Scholar, May 2025) and over 110,000 citations. ^[5] His research focuses on cell-mediated immunity against intracellular bacteria, rational design of improved tuberculosis vaccines, and biomarker discovery.^[6] His TB vaccine is in phase III trials (NCT 03152903, CTRI/2019/01/017026, NCT 04351685), with additional studies on bladder cancer and SARS-CoV-2 protection.^[7] Kaufmann is actively involved in public education (EFIS – Day of Immunology) and has authored books on Covid-19 and vaccination.^[8]

• German Society of Immunology (DGfI), past president and honorary member * European Federation of Immunological Societies (EFIS), past president * International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS), past president * Max Planck Society * Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences * German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina * EMBO * American Academy of Microbiology * TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI)

• 1982 DGHM Förderpreis * 1987 Alfried Krupp Award * 1988 Aronson Prize * 1991 Smith Kline Beecham Science Prize * 1991 Merckle Science Prize * 1992 Robert Pfleger Prize * 1992 Pettenkofer Prize * 1993 Scientific Prize of DGHM * 2007 Doctor Honoris Causa, Aix-Marseille II * 2014 Gardner Middlebrook Award * 2018 Gagna A. & Ch. Van Heck Prize * 2022 Ernst Hellmuth Vits Prize * 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, Pune University * 2024–2026 Honorary Professor, Stellenbosch University * Since 2024 Ambassador, Sepsis Foundation for Vaccination * Since 2025 Distinguished Investigator, IVReD, Hokkaido University

• The New Plagues: Pandemics and Poverty in a Globalized World, 2009 * Handbook of Tuberculosis, 3 Volume Set, 2012 * AIDS and Tuberculosis, A Deadly Liaison, 2011 * The Immune Response to Infection, 2011 * Tuberculosis, 2020 * Basiswissen Immunologie, Springer, 2014, 2025

• Latest Thinking: Can Biosignatures Be Used to Develop a Reliable, Fast and Low-Cost Test for Tuberculosis? * Latest Thinking: How Can We Improve the Existing Vaccine for Tuberculosis to Combat Multi-Resistant Strains?

• Stefan H.E. Kaufmann – MPIIB * Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology * Works by and about Stefan H.E. Kaufmann in the German National Library