Professor Georg Andreas Schett stands as a preeminent leader in medical research and academic administration at the forefront of immunological sciences. He currently serves as Vice President for Research at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg while maintaining his position as Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Department of Medicine 3 specializing in Rheumatology and Immunology at Uniklinikum Erlangen. His distinguished academic journey began with the completion of his habilitation in internal medicine at the Medical University of Vienna in 2003, followed by specialization in rheumatology in 2004 and a research stay at Amgen in the United States. Since accepting his appointment at FAU in 2006, Professor Schett has strategically positioned himself at the nexus of clinical practice and groundbreaking research, establishing himself as a pivotal figure in Germany's academic research landscape.
Professor Schett has made transformative contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying immune-inflammatory diseases, with his research fundamentally reshaping approaches to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. His scholarly impact is evidenced by over 1,000 peer-reviewed publications and an exceptional h-index of 155, reflecting widespread influence across the immunological and medical communities. A landmark achievement came in 2021 when he pioneered the application of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for autoimmune diseases, representing a paradigm shift in treatment approaches that previously were limited to conventional immunosuppression. His leadership in establishing the DFG collaborative research center 1181 Checkpoints for Resolution of Inflammation since 2015 has catalyzed significant advances in understanding how inflammation resolves, while his earlier initiation of the IMMUNOBONE priority program in 2008 laid crucial groundwork for understanding the intricate relationship between the skeletal and immune systems.
Beyond his individual research accomplishments, Professor Schett has significantly shaped the global immunology landscape through extensive international collaborations with premier institutions including the VIB in Ghent, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in Oxford. His scholarly leadership extends to service on the DFG review board, editorial contributions to major journals, and organization of numerous international congresses that have fostered cross-disciplinary dialogue and innovation. Recognition of his profound impact includes the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in 2023, an ERC synergy grant from the European Union, and his recent selection by Time Magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in Health in 2024. Professor Schett continues to drive forward the frontiers of immunological research while strategically guiding FAU's research agenda, ensuring that his dual commitments to scientific discovery and institutional leadership will continue to yield transformative advances in understanding and treating immune-mediated diseases for years to come.
