Prof. von Messling is the Director-General for “Life Sciences” at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). She is responsible for policies and funding on medical research and innovation, which includes biotechnology and development of drugs, vaccines and diagnostics, global and public health research, interactive technologies for health and quality of life, as well as ethics, digitalization, eHealth and the environmental aspects of health.

In addition to national funding within these remits, the BMBF provides support for a number of international initiatives via the Life Sciences department such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and several Product Development Partnerships. It also finances the “Research Networks for Health Innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa” to contribute to excellence in science in Africa and build research capacity sustainably. Together with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BMBF also finances “Grand Challenges Africa” projects.

Prof. von Messling obtained her veterinary degree and her doctorate degree in veterinary virology from the Veterinary School Hannover, Germany. Following her postdoctoral training at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, USA, she was Assistant Professor at the INRS Institute Armand-Frappier in Laval, QC, Canada, and then Associate Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, before becoming Director of the Veterinary Division at Paul Ehrlich Institute, the German Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines, in Langen, Germany