BfR Vice President Professor Dr Tanja Schwerdtle becomes President of the Max Rubner Institute
Professor Dr Tanja Schwerdtle, Vice President of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), is to become President of the Max Rubner Institute (MRI). Tanja Schwerdtle has been Vice President of the BfR since March 2020. She will be President of the MRI from September 2024. “My time at the BfR was very inspiring for me and I am very happy that I was able to advance consumer health protection together with all the outstanding experts. I am now looking forward to the new challenges that lie ahead of me at the MRI,” says Professor Dr Tanja Schwerdtle about this new change.
Tanja Schwerdtle studied food chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe, where she also completed her doctorate. After working as a research assistant at the University of Karlsruhe and the Technical University of Berlin, she was appointed to a W2 professorship at the University of Münster in 2008. In 2013, Schwerdtle moved to the Institute of Nutritional Science at the University of Potsdam (W3 professorship). Since March 2020, she has been Vice President of the BfR and also Honorary Professor of Food Toxicology at the University of Potsdam. Tanja Schwerdtle is a member of numerous scientific societies and committees, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Schwerdtle's scientific focus includes research into potentially toxic metal compounds and the search for models to replace animal testing. Another area of work is essential trace elements and their effects on health. Corresponding research results are one of the foundations of the recently launched COPLANT study. In this largest cohort study to date on plant-based nutrition in German-speaking countries, the BfR and the MRI and other partners are investigating the advantages and disadvantages of plant-based nutrition. In addition, Schwerdtle has worked intensively on the health risk assessment of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and has been involved in international coordination on this topic. In the area of genotoxicity, i.e. the ability of substances to damage the genome, she is working on further developing the established assessment concepts and harmonising them nationally and internationally.
About the BfR
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in Germany. The BfR advises the Federal Government and the States (‘Laender’) on questions of food, chemicals and product safety. The BfR conducts independent research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.
This text version is a translation of the original German text which is the only legally binding version.