Wilfried Wackernagel reappointed to the Central Commission for Biological Safety

Prof. pens. Dr Dr h.c. Wilfried Wackernagel, geneticist at the Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, has been reappointed by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection to the "Central Commission for Biological Safety" (ZKBS) of the Federal Republic of Germany for a period of three years.

Wackernagel has already been a member of the Commission for several academic appointments, which comments on all safety issues relating to genetic engineering, advises the Federal Government and issues statements for the Federal States. The Commission's remit covers genetic engineering in scientific and medical research, in industrial use, in agriculture and in food and feed production.

Wackernagel, who studied chemistry, biology, microbiology and biochemistry, gained his doctorate at the Ruhr University Bochum in 1971 and qualified as a professor there in 1976. Before his habilitation, he conducted research at Yale University (USA) for two years.

He has been teaching and researching in Oldenburg since 1982 and regularly works as an expert on international committees, for example for the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the Federation of European Microbiological Societies. In 2005, Wackernagel was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Lyon (France).