Univ. Prof. Dr. med. Claus Cursiefen, FEBO, FARVO

Principal Investigator, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne

Prof. Cursiefen is the Chairman and Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Germany. Professor Cursiefen completed his medical studies at the Universities of Regensburg, Würzburg, St. Andrews/Dundee, London, and Malta. He underwent ophthalmological training at the University of Erlangen‐Nürnberg and pursued his DFG‐Postdoctoral training at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

From 2004 to 2011, he held the position of Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Erlangen, and served as the Director of the Cornea Bank and as a Project leader in IZKF Erlangen and in SFB 643 of the DFG. Since 2011, he has been the Chairman and Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne.

Professor Cursiefen’s clinical and research focus lies in corneal transplantation, artificial cornea, and ocular surface regeneration. He is supported by DFG, EU, and Industry. He is a member of the German National Academy of Science Leopoldina and the Secretary General of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG). He has published more than 500 peer‐reviewed papers, including publications in PNAS, JEM, JCI, and Nature Medicine.