ruth901
New minds at Fulda University: Two professors with experience from industry and start-ups are strengthening the ecotrophology and food technology departments.
Fulda – At the beginning of the year, Fulda University appointed two new professors in the departments of ecotrophology and food technology. Professor Dr. René Nachtsheim and Professor Dr. Torsten Fauth not only brings academic expertise, but also extensive experience from industry, as the university reports.
New professors in Fulda: experts from industry and research
René Nachtsheim (42), who took over the professorship for food sensory science and product development, came into contact with the world of food at an early age. Growing up in a family of bakers, the now 42-year-old developed a passion for the production of food and its sensory properties as a child.
After studying ecotrophology and nutritional science at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, he received a scientific scholarship from Dr. Rainer Wild Foundation. His doctorate, which combined nutrition, sensory science and product development, was honored with the Young Sensory Scientist Award from the German Society for Sensory Technology.
Nachtsheim's professional career took him to the Wiener Neustadt University of Applied Sciences and to the food industry at Döhler, where he worked in the areas of sensor technology, market research and product management.
In Fulda he now wants to further develop applied sensor technology and profile the university as a competence center for modern sensor technology and product development research. His research focuses on co-creation, sensory training and multisensory perception. In his private life, Nachtsheim is a passionate American football fan and played in the German Football Bundesliga for many years.
Torsten Fauth (46) strengthens the food technology department as a professor of applied biotechnology with a focus on cell culture technology. The 46-year-old has experience: As a group leader at the start-up company Akribion Therapeutics, he played a key role in the development of a novel CRISPR/Cas gene scissors for precision oncology.
Biotechnology expert with start-up experience
Fauth previously held various positions at BRAIN Biotech AG, one of the leading European pioneers of industrial biotechnology. There he drove forward research projects with partners from the dermocosmetics and food industries as well as with clinical institutes. His focus was on researching ion channels and receptors in the skin as well as the development of innovative cell culture technologies
Fauth studied biology at the University of Ulm and then completed a research stay at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the USA. His doctorate at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich was dedicated to the topic of epigenetic gene regulation. His research results have been widely published and protected by patent applications.
In addition Fulda University recently funded three new permanent MINT professorships for female scientists – a significant advance in equality in academia.
