Melanie Blokesch

Melanie Blokesch is a Full Professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), affiliated with the School of Life Sciences. She holds a PhD from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Germany, and joined EPFL as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in 2009. She was promoted to Associate Professor (tenured) in 2016 and to Full Professor in 2021. Since 2022, she has served as director of the Global Health Institute at EPFL. Her research focuses on pathoecology and evolution of bacteria, including horizontal gene transfer, regulatory circuits, and inter-bacterial competition. She has received numerous awards, including an ERC Starting Grant in 2012 and an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2016. She is also an elected member of several academic societies, including the European Academy of Microbiology and the European Molecular Biology Organization.

Melanie Blokesch is a Professor of Life Sciences at EPFL, specializing in bacterial regulatory networks, horizontal gene transfer, and bacterial genetics. Her research explores mechanisms underlying natural competence and transformation in pathogenic and environmental Gram-negative bacteria, with a focus on Vibrio cholerae. She investigates how chitin, quorum sensing, and other environmental cues regulate DNA uptake and horizontal gene transfer. Her work also examines the role of defense systems in plasmid elimination and the ecological dynamics of Vibrio pathogens. Blokesch's studies contribute to understanding bacterial adaptation, evolution, and pathogenesis through molecular and ecological approaches.