In 2016, veterinarian and microbiologist Katharina Schaufler obtained her doctorates (Dr. med. vet. and PhD) on the topic of antibiotic resistance under the expert supervision of Professor Lothar H. Wieler at the Free University of Berlin. Her academic journey in the context of an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship took her to Harvard Medical School in Boston, where she gained valuable experience under the guidance of Professor Michael S. Gilmore. As a microbiologist, she was appointed Junior Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology at the University of Greifswald in 2019 and successfully acquired the BMBF junior research group "DISPATch_MRGN" in November 2020, which is endowed with over two million euros. In 2021, she accepted the call to the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, where she dedicated herself to medical microbiology. Depuis mi-2023, elle est directrice du département « Épidémiologie et écologie de la résistance aux antimicrobiens » à l’Institut Helmholtz One Health ainsi que professeure à la médecine universitaire de Greifswald.

Katharina Schaufler is an experienced scientist in the field of antimicrobial resistance and is an integral part of an international network of experts. Her research activities are part of the holistic One Health approach, which uses state-of-the-art bioinformatics and molecular biology methods to pursue the overarching goal of taking a comprehensive view of human, animal and environmental health. The focus is not only on the elucidation of fundamental mechanisms for the development and transmission of infectious diseases, but also on the development of alternative strategies to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens. To realize her research vision, she successfully acquires a large number of third-party funded projects, wins prizes and publishes her scientific findings in renowned journals.

Prof. Schaufler heads the module ‘One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance’ in the Master's programme ‘Infection Biology and Immunology’ at the University of Greifswald. The module combines theoretical content with practical application through seminars and internships to promote a comprehensive understanding of antimicrobial resistance within the framework of the One Health approach.

Selected Publications

Katharina Schaufler, Nicola Schmidt, Michael Schwabe, Stefan E Heiden, Helmut Fickenscher, Pei Yee Woh, Sy Bui Tien, Thirumalaisamy P Velavan, Le Huu Song, Bernd Neumann, Evgeny A Idelevich, Karsten Becker, Andi Krumbholz, Kaan Kocer, Sébastien Boutin, Dennis Nurjadi, Elias Eger, Rethinking virulence screening in Klebsiella pneumoniae: a case for a standardised Galleria mellonella infection model,
The Lancet Microbe, 2026, 101421, ISSN 2666-5247, DOI: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2026.101421.

Schaufler K, Schmidt N, Schwabe M, Heiden SE, Fickenscher H, Who PY, Tien SB, Velavan TP, Song LH, Neumann B, Idelevich EA, Becker K, Krumbholz A, Kocer K, Boutin S, Nurjadi D, Eger E. Rethinking virulence screening in Klebsiella pneumoniae: A case for a standardized Galleria mellonella infection model. The Lancet Microbe. 2026

Müller JU, Eger E, Jana B, Schwabe M, Nurjadi D, Ma Y, Pirolo M, Guardabassi L, Schaufler K. The hidden link between cefiderocol resistance and increased virulence in Klebsiella pneumoniae: insights from a transposon-directed insertion-site sequencing-based investigation. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2026. 32(4):603-609. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2025.12.010

Echelmeyer T, Ellmann M, Heiden SE, Kocer K, Schwabe M, Fickenscher H, Maschkowitz G, Guenther S, Nurjadi D, Schaufler K, Eger E. Novel continuous experimental evolution methodology uncovers rapid resistance development and cross-resistance. npj Antimicrob Resist. 2026. 4(1):18. DOI: 10.1038/s44259-026-00191-x

Swiatek LS, Eger E, Surmann K, Meller F, Schulig L, Harms M, Echelmeyer T, Hentschker C, Völker U, Schwabe M, Schaufler K. Genomic and functional characterization of the L-sorbose phosphotransferase system in high-risk Escherichia coli lineages. mSystems. 2026. 11(1):e0127425. DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01274-25

Wende M, Osbelt L, Eisenhard L, Lesker TR, Damaris BF, Mutukumarasamy U, Bielecka A, d. H. Almási É, Winter KA, Schauer J, Pfennigwerth N, Gatermann S, Schaufler K, Schlüter D, Galardini M, Strowig T. Suppression of gut colonization by multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli clinical isolates through cooperative niche exclusion. Nature Commun. 2025. 16(1):5426. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-61327-7

Lübcke P, Heiden SE, Homeier-Bachmann T, Bohnert JA, Schulze C, Eger E, Schwabe M, Guenther S, Schaufler K. Multidrug-resistant high-risk clonal Escherichia coli lineages occur along an antibiotic residue gradient in the Baltic Sea. npj Clean Water. 2024. 7:94. DOI: 10.1038/s41545-024-00394-7

Eger E, Homeier-Bachmann T, Adade E, Dreyer S, Heiden SE, Lübcke P, Tawiah PO, Sylverken AA, Knauf S, Schaufler K. Carbapenem- and cefiderocol-resistant Enterobacterales in surface water in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana. JAC Antimicrob Resist. 2024. 6(2):dlae021. DOI: 10.1093/jacamr/dlae021

Schaufler K, Echelmeyer T, Schwabe M, Guenther S, Bohnert JA, Becker K, Fickenscher H, Bueter A, Maschkowitz G, Krumbholz A, Nurjadi D, Heiden SE, Eger E. Convergent Klebsiella pneumoniae strains belonging to a sequence type 307 outbreak clone combine cefiderocol and carbapenem resistance with hypervirulence. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2023. 12(2):2271096. DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2271096

Shaidullina ER*, Schwabe M*, Rohde T, Shapovalova VV, Dyachkova MS, Matsvay AD, Savochkina YA, Shelenkov AA, Mikhaylova YV, Sydow K, Lebreton F, Idelevich EA, Heiden SE, Becker K, Kozlov RS, Shipulin GA, Akimkin VG, Lalk M, Guenther S, Zautner AE, Bohnert JA, Mardanova AM, Bouganim R, Marchaim D, Hoff KJ, Schaufler K*, Edelstein MV*. Genomic analysis of the international high-risk clonal lineage Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 395. Genome Med. 2023. 15(1):9. DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01159-6

Heiden SE*, Hübner NO*, Bohnert JA, Heidecke CD, Kramer A, Balau V, Gierer W, Schaefer S, Eckmanns T, Gatermann S, Eger E, Guenther S, Becker K, Schaufler K. A Klebsiella pneumoniae ST307 outbreak clone from Germany demonstrates features of extensive drug resistance, hypermucoviscosity, and enhanced iron acquisition. Genome Med. 2020. 12(1):113. DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00814