Since 2010, PD Dr. Simone Bergmann is a group leader and lecturer at the Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany. After her studies on microbiology, cellbiology, biochemistry and genetics at the TU in Braunschweig, she started her research on streptococcus-host interaction with her diploma thesis at the “Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung” in Braunschweig, in Sven Hammerschmidt´s lab. After a short scientific stay at the “Menzies School of Health Research” in Darwin, Northern Territories, Australia in 2000, she achieved her PhD at the TU Braunschweig in 2002 with summa cum laude. Her PhD project was also honored with an advancement award from the Helmholtz association in 2003. She intensified her studies on the interaction of pneumococci with fibrinolytic enzymes and with extracellular matrix proteins as post doc fellow at the Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (ZINF) in Würzburg for four years and for another one year at the Max von Pettenkofer-Institute at the Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität (LMU) in Munich. In 2008 she moved back to the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig and joined the department of Singh Chhatwal as project leader on an EU-funded position within the “Carepneumo”- consortium. At that time she focused her scientific projects on the interplay between streptococci and primary endothelial cells. After she received the venia legendi for microbiology in 2010, she was recruited to the group of Michael Steinert at the TU in Braunschweig and started to study the impact of Streptococcus pneumoniae on hemostatic processes. One of her major scientific aims was to elucidate the function of the mechanosensitive Von Willebrand Factor in the bacterial infection process. In 2015 she became associated to the DFG-funded “Shenc” - consortium (Shear Flow Regulation of Hemostasis) and started to analyse the function of the Von Willebrand Factor using various cell culture infection systems including a microfluidic endothelial model system. In 2017, she received the Günther Landbeck Excellence award for experimental research on the pneumococcus interaction with Von Willebrand Factor, which was granted by the Hämophilie-Association in Hamburg.
