Professor Beate Koksch is a distinguished leader in the field of organic chemistry and natural product research at Freie Universität Berlin with significant contributions to peptide science. Born in 1968 in East Germany, she overcame early academic barriers when initially denied entry to biochemistry programs before securing her passion for chemistry at Technical University Merseburg. She earned her Diploma in Chemistry from Leipzig University in 1991 and completed her PhD in Biochemistry there in 1995, followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute in California under Professors M. Reza Ghadiri and Carlos F. Barbas III. Commencing her independent academic career at University Leipzig in 2000 as Assistant Professor, she joined Freie Universität Berlin as Professor of Organic and Natural Product Chemistry in 2004, rising to the prestigious W3 Professor position in 2023 while maintaining her leadership of the Center for Supramolecular Interactions CSI.
Her pioneering research bridges organic chemistry, biochemistry, and materials science to develop innovative peptide-based systems with biomedical and technological applications through the strategic incorporation of fluorinated amino acids. Professor Koksch's work focuses on engineering peptides and proteins to enhance pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties, with her breakthrough research on fluoropeptides as biodegradable biopolymers documented in over 130 peer-reviewed journal articles, two patents, and more than 60 plenary and invited lectures worldwide. As Director of the DFG Graduate Program 'Fluorine as Key Element,' she has spearheaded interdisciplinary research that combines organic chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, and materials sciences to advance the development of novel biomaterials with enhanced stability and functionality. Her research methodology emphasizes the integration of theoretical and experimental approaches to understand and modulate protein structure and function through small peptide model systems.
Professor Koksch's scholarly influence extends through her service on editorial boards including her membership on the Editorial Board of Cell Chemical Biology from 2016 to 2020, the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters since 2014, and has served on the Editorial Advisory Board of Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology, where she shapes the direction of chemical biology research. Recognized for her contributions, she is a Fellow of the European Academy of Science, received the Publication Award from the GDCh 'Fluorine Chemistry' division, and serves as a key member of the Max-Bergmann-Kreis for the Advancement of Peptide Chemistry. Her leadership roles include previously serving as Speaker for the Graduate School 'Macromolecular Bioscience' from 2012-2014 and Director of the DFG Research Training Group 'Fluorine as Key Element' from 2012-2018. Currently advancing her research on fluorine in peptide, protein, and cell engineering, she continues to drive innovation both in academia as Professor at Freie Universität Berlin and as co-founder and CEO of FluxPharm GmbH, where she translates fundamental discoveries into practical therapeutic applications.
