Thomas Bosch

Thomas Bosch studied Biology at the University of Munich and Swansea University College in the UK from 1976 to 1983. He earned his doctorate from the University of Munich in 1986. From 1986 to 1988, Bosch held a postdoctoral position at the University of California, Irvine, USA. After a position as research associate at the University of Munich, he was appointed to professorship for Zoology at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in 1997. Since 2000 Bosch is Professor of General Zoology at Kiel University. Bosch is Senior Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research (CIFAR). From 2010 to 2013 he served as Vice-President of Kiel University and was responsible for Kiel University’s institutional strategy and international relations. Since November 2013 Bosch is heading the interdisciplinary research center “Kiel Life Science” (KLS) at Kiel University. Since 2016 Bosch is also spokesperson of the DFG funded Collaborative Research Center (CRC/SFB 1182) “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms” which addresses the relatively newly recognized role of multi-organismic interactions for health and disease. Since 2008 Bosch is Editor-in-Chief of “Zoology”. 2016-2017 he served as President of the German Society of Developmental Biology (GfE) . Bosch is a member of several national and international Academic Committees and Boards. Since 2016 he is Senior Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). 2018-2019 he was Fellow of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. His awards include a Dr. honoris causa degree from St. Petersburg State University, Russia (2004).

Education/Training:

1986 – 1988
Post-Doc – Feodor Lynen fellow of Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation at the Developmental Biology Center, University of California, Irvine, USA

1983 – 1986
Doctoral student, Zoological Institute, University of Munich

1976 – 1983
Study of Biology at University of Munich, Germany, and University College Swansea, UK.

Research Experience/Academic Appointments:

Since 2000
Professor (C4) „Allgemeine Zoologie“ at the Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel

1997 -1999
Professor (C3) „Spezielle Zoologie“ at the Friedrich-Schiller University Jena

1993 -1997
Junior Faculty (Oberassistent, Privatdozent C2), Zoological Institute, University of Munich

1988 – 1993
Research Assistant, Zoological Institute, University of Munic

Important Scientific Prizes/Functions:

Since 2016
Speaker of the CRC 1182 “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms”

Since 2016
Member of Expert Council for the “Biology” Programmes, St. Peterburg State University, Russia

Since 2015
Fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Studies (CIFAR)

Since 2015
Speaker, wissenschaftlicher Fakultätsbeirat der Universität Jena

Since 2015
Member, Wissenschaftlicher Beirat für Programm-Evaluation der Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung

Since 2013
Speaker of the University Research Focus “”Kiel Life Science” (KLS)

Since 2013
Member Advisory Board, Stiftung Old Herborn University, Institut für Integrative Biologie Herborn an der Dylle

Since 2012
Member and speaker (since 2015) of DFG Review Board 203 Zoology (DFG-Fachkollegium 203 Zoologie)

Since 2008
Editor in Chief, Zoology (Elsevier)

2018/2019
Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg (Institute of Advanced Studies) zu Berlin

2018
Kane Memorial Lecturer, University of Hawaii, USA

2016/2017
President Deutsche Gesellschaft für Entwicklungsbiologie (GfE)

2016
Peter Hemmerich Vorlesung, Universität Konstanz

2011, 2016
Member, Selection Committee for International Prize for Biology JSPS, Tokyo

2015/2016
Deputy President Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft (DZG)

2014
Koshland Lecture Award, University of Chicago, USA

2010-2013
Vice President of Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel

2010
Carl-Friedrich-von-Siemens Foundation Lecture, Munich

2006-2014
Mitglied im Auswahlausschuss der Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung zur Vergabe der Feodor-Lynen Stipendien

2004
Doctor „honoris causa“ from St. Petersburg State University, Russian

Most Cited Publications:

Animals in a bacterial world, a new imperative for the life sciences

Authors:  McFall-Ngai, Margaret; Hadfield, Michael G.; Bosch, Thomas C. G.; ...  Wernegreen, Jennifer J.

Published: 2013 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/PNAS.1218525110


The dynamic genome of Hydra

Authors:  Chapman, Jarrod A.; Kirkness, Ewen F.; Simakov, Oleg; ...  Steele, Robert E.

Published: Mar 2010 in Nature

DOI: 10.1038/NATURE08830


The innate immune repertoire in Cnidaria - ancestral complexity and stochastic gene loss

Authors:  Miller, David J.; Hemmrich, Georg; Ball, Eldon E.; ...  Bosch, Thomas C. G.

Published: 2007 in Genome Biology

DOI: 10.1186/GB-2007-8-4-R59


More than just orphans: are taxonomically-restricted genes important in evolution?

Published: Sep 2009 in Trends in Genetics

DOI: 10.1016/J.TIG.2009.07.006


Long-term maintenance of species-specific bacterial microbiota in the basal metazoan Hydra

Published: Jul 2007 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/PNAS.0703375104