Curriculum vitae
Wolf B. Frommer
Alexander von Humboldt Professor
Heinrich Heine Universität
Institut for Molecular Physiology
Universitätsstraße 1, Gebäude: 26.14, Etage/Raum: 00.116
40225 Düsseldorf
Phone +49 211 81 12779
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osDwRmJoSAg&t=12s (English)
Professional Work Experience Germany
o Alexander von Humboldt Professor, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf (2017-)
o Gastprofessor, May Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Köln (2017-)
o Principal Investigator, Visiting Professor, Institute for Transformative Biomolecules, Nagoya University, 2016-
o Full Professor, Chair of Plant Physiology, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen (department with 5 professors and 80 employees; 1996-2003)
o Cofounder and Director of Center for Plant Molecular Biology Tübingen (ZMBP, supported by Ministry for Science & Education, Baden-Württemberg; 150 employees); 1997–2001
o Head of an Independent Young Investigator Group at the Genzentrum Berlin funded by BMBF, Institut für Genbiologische Forschung, Berlin; 1992–1996
o Head of a research group in the department of Prof. Dr. Lothar Willmitzer, Institut für Genbiologische Forschung, Berlin; 1990–1991
o Postdoctoral fellow at the Institut für Genbiologische Forschung, Berlin, (Prof. Dr. Lothar Willmitzer); 1988–1989
o Short postdoctoral fellowship at the Shanghai Institute for Plant Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (Prof. Dr. Men Ming Hong); 10–12/1987
Professional Work Experience USA
o Short postdoctoral fellowship at the Shanghai Institute for Plant Physiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (Prof. Dr. Men Ming Hong); 10–12/1987
o Staff Member, Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science; 2003-2018
o Adjunct Professor, Biology Department, Stanford University; 2004-2011, 2016-2018
o Director, Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science; 2009-2016
o Full Professor, Biology Department, Stanford University; 2011-2016
o Acting Director, Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science; 2007-2009
o Vice President, Feedstocks Division, JBEI (Joint Bioenergy Institute; www.jbei.org), Emeryville, CA; 2007-2009
o Visiting Faculty, Laurence Berkeley National Laboratories, Berkeley, CA; since 2007
o Bio-X affiliated Faculty, Stanford University; since 2006
University Education
o Habilitation and venia legendi for Plant Physiology, Faculty for Biology, Free University of Berlin, Germany; 1994
o Dissertation (Dr. rer. nat.) at the Institute for Genetics (Prof. Dr. Peter Starlinger), University of Köln; 1983-1987
o Masters thesis (Dipl. Biol.) at the Institute for Genetics (Prof. Dr. Peter Starlinger), University of Köln; 1982-1983
o Study of Biology at the University of Köln, (Genetics, Botany and Biochemistry); 1977-1981
Publications and Patents
o over 300 publications
o over 40 patents/patent applications
Awards
o Young Investigator Award; 1992-1996 (Nachwuchsgruppe am Genzentrum Berlin, Institut für Genbiologische Forschung)
o Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz Award from Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft; 1998, www.dfg.de/en/news/scientific_prizes/leibniz_preis/
o Körber Award for European Science; 2001, www.koerber-stiftung.de/
o Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science AAAS; 2003
o ISI Highly Cited; 2009
o Laurence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology, 2012 (American Society of Plant Biologists)
o German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, 2015
o Alexander von Humboldt Professorship – International Prize for Research in Germany Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
o Clarivate-Web of Science Highly Cited 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
o Tsungming Tu - Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, Taiwan; 2018 TAIPEI TIMES
o Henriette Herz Scout, Alexnader von Humboldt Foundation
Funding
o Current program supported by grants from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, DFG (CRC1208)
o Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
o the National Science Foundation, USA (see Table at end of resumé),
o ERC Synergy
Graduate Education and Undergraduate Honors Education Stanford
o Graduate classes: Cell Biology of Physiological Processes (MCP221), Stanford University; 2005-2009, 2011; BIOS 200: Foundations in Experimental Biology 2014;
o Supervision of >40 Ph.D. dissertations; 1993-
o Supervision of >40 M.Sc. theses (diploma); 1989-
o Supervision of 7 theses for teachership (Staatsexamensarbeiten); 1997-2003
o Responsible for teaching Plant Physiology, University Tübingen; 1996-2003
Service Tasks
o Various service tasks at the University of Tübingen (Faculty Board, Selection Committees) and Stanford University (Tenure and Promotion Committees)
o Member of Wissenschaftliche Kommission “Forschungsevaluation an Niedersächsischen Hochschulen und Forschungseinrichtungen” 2000/2001 (Commission for the Evaluation of Biological Research at Universities of the State of Niedersachsen, Germany)
o Editorial Boards: Advisory Board, The Plant Journal (1998-2003), Trends in Plant Science (1998-2002); Guest Editor: Curr. Opin. Plant Biotechnol., Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. (2003-2004); Co-Editor J. Plant Physiol. (1996-1998); Co-Editor The Plant Cell (1998-2006); Section Editor Plant Biology (2000-2003); Co-Editor J. Biol. Chem. (2004-2006); Editorial Board: Plant Methods (2004-2008); Editorial Board Annual Rev. Plant Biol. (2007-2012); Editorial Board BMC Biol. (since 2009); Editor-in-Chief Frontiers in Plant Physiology (2009-2012); Guest Editor Curr. Opin. Plant Biology (2010). Editor-in-Chief Frontiers in Plant Science (2010-2012); Section Head, “Plant Physiology and Biochemistry” of Faculty of 1000 (since 2001; www.facultyof1000.com)
o Organizer 4th Pan American Plant Membrane Biology Workshop, Asilomar 2012; Org. Committees: 5th Pan American Plant Membrane Biology Workshop 2015; XVII International Workshop on Plant Membrane Biology 2016; Cold Spring Harbor Asia Meeting 2016; Advisory Board, The International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR)
o Reviewer for international journals (Nature, Cell, Science, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, EMBO J., Plant Cell, Planta, Plant Mol. Biol., Plant Physiology etc.)
o Reviewer for research foundations (e.g. NIH ad hoc panel CDF3, 2004; NIH panel MDCN-K (54) 2005, 2006; DOE panel 2006; NIH EUREKA-Review Committee 2009; NSF panels IOS, MCB 2011); German Research Foundation including SFB panels; Volkswagenstiftung, Germany; Swiss National Fund; ULB Bruxelles, Belgium; Czech Science Foundation; Israel; Finland; Danish Research Agency; AFRC/BBSRC UK; NSF, USDA, DOE - USA; ARC Australia; New Zealand, various tenure evaluations (Stanford, ETHZ, etc.), Head Review Committee, Sainsbury Lab, Cambridge
o Scientific Advisory Board of the Joint Bioenergy Institute, Emeryville (2009); Board of Directors JBEI (2009-15); Scientific Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen; www.eb.tuebingen.mpg.de/ (2003-2008); Advisory Committee Academia Sinica, Taipei (2006); Advisory Board of Metacyc, SRI, Stanford; http://metacyc.org/ (2004-2010); Member of Plant Metabolic Network (PMN)’s editorial board (since 2007); Keystone Conferences, Adv. Board (2010); North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC 2009-2014); Award committee member of ASPB 2014; Head Award Committee for ASPB 2015-2020.
o Consultant to several Biotech companies
o Curator, Art Exhibitions, Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution, Stanford (2010-2016).
Biotechnology
Founder of the biotechnology company SYMPORE GmbH, Tübingen; 2000-2004; Scientific Advisor to SYMPORE GmbH; 2000-2002; Business Advisory Board Member SYMPORE GmbH; 2001-2004; Scientific Advisor to Global Food Scholar; 2013-; Scientific Advisor to Symbiota; 2013-; various Consultancy contracts with Biotech industry
Memberships
o American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS);
o American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB);
o American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB);
o New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS);
o California Academy of Sciences.
o Deutsche Botanische Gesellschaft
o CEPLAS
Calls received
1995 Chair Biochemistry of Plants; University Bochum (rejected); 1995 Chair Plant Physiology, University Tübingen (accepted); 1995 Professorship, Plant Biochemistry, University Würzburg (rejected); 2000 Professorship, UC Davis (rejected); 2002 Staff Member, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford (accepted); 2016 Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf (accepted).