Dr. Nürnberger is a distinguished plant biochemist, currently holding the position of Full Professor of Plant Biochemistry and of Director of the Center of Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP) within the University of Tübingen, Germany. He holds an Honorary Professorship at Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing, China, a Visiting Professorship to the University of Johannesburg, South Africa and he is a Member of the European Molecular Biology organization (EMBO). His current research interests are the identification and characterization of pathogen-associated molecular patterns and their cognate immune receptors and the use of these receptors for engineering resistance in crop plants.