
Junge GfV

Welcome
We are an association of committed young scientists and junior research group leaders within Society of Virology (GfV). We offer you a network to support you both scientifically and in your career planning, from your bachelor's degree and doctorate to senior scientist (postdoc / staff scientist / junior research group leader) or doctor in training.
To deepen your knowledge in virology, we offer you various working groups with annual workshops. In these workshops you can present your own work to a larger audience, discuss results and network with invited guest speakers and participating virologists. The Achieve Academy and the Young PI faculty offer additional workshops and support with career planning and qualification issues.
Follow us on SLACK, Bluesky or Linkedin and always receive the latest information and reminders about upcoming events.

About us

Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Stephanie Pfänder
ACHIEVE

Working group leader:
Dr. Kevin Ciminski
One Health and Zoonoses

Working group leader:
Dr. Björn Meyer
Young PI Faculty

Speaker:
Dr. Christian Sieben
Cell biology of viral infections

Head of working group:
Prof. Dr. Daniel Sauter
Immunology of infections

Head of the working group:
Jun. Prof. Dr. Christina Karsten
Young PI Faculty

Student representative:
Dr. Nele Villabruna

Head of working group:
Dr. Gabrielle Vieyres
Cell biology of viral infections

Head of working group:
Prof. Dr. Christine Engeland
Viral vectors for gene therapy

Student representative:
Maximilian Kelch

Head of working group:
Dr. Philipp Steininger
Clinical-Virological Research

Head of working group:
Dr. Dennis Lapuente
Viral vectors for gene therapy


Funding
The GfV awards the following research prizes to young virologists
In addition, the junge GfV awards the following prizes:


Events
ACHIEVE annual meeting in Hamburg
March 3 to 4, 2025
Annual meeting of the Immunobiology of Viral Infections working groupin Bad Salzschlirf
September 29 to October 1, 2025
Joint lecture of the jGfV and yDGfI “Preclinical and clinical development of antiviral vaccines” with Stefanie Krumm and Leif Erik Sander
February 24, 2025; 5-6:30 pm
Online continuing education circle of the Working Group Clinical Virological Research
ACHIEVE "How to..." series 2.0
You can find more events at jUNITE
Newsletter
Subscribe to the jGfV newsletter and receive the latest information on prizes, scholarships and exciting background reports.
Here you will find the current newsletter.
Interested in the young GfV newsletter?
Would you like to receive the young GfV newsletter regularly? Then register using the form and confirm that your data is correct by clicking on the link in the confirmation email.
Working groups
ACHIEVE I Education and training
The young academy ACHIEVE within the German Society of Virology has two important goals: On the one hand, ACHIEVE wants to arouse enthusiasm for the subject of virology among students of the life sciences, human medicine and veterinary medicine. On the other hand, the academy wants to help young virologists to advance professionally in their field.
Workshops adapted to the two target groups are to realise these goals. Tailor-made for the respective target group, the participants are offered qualification measures as well as networking opportunities. The workshops are also a platform for the exchange of experience between the generations in virology. The events, including application deadlines and modalities, will be announced in good time via the homepage and the GfV newsletter.
Immunobiology of viral infections
The topics of the working group "Immunobiology of viral infections" include innate as well as adaptive immune responses in the context of viral infections, vaccine development as well as technological advances.
Organisator
Prof. Dr. Daniel Sauter
Institut für Medizinische Virologie und Epidemiologie der Viruskrankheiten
Universitätsklinikum Tübingen
Elfriede-Aulhorn-Str. 6
72076 Tübingen
Deutschland
Tel.+49 (0) 7071 – 29 80177
Organisatorin
Dr. Christine Dahlke
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
Gibbs building
250 Euston Rd
Bloomsbury, London NW1 2BE
United Kingdom
Clinical virological research
The working group was founded in 2007 as part of the regular laboratory directors' meetings in Würzburg and is a forum for all physicians and scientists interested in clinical virology. Once a year we offer a workshop near Würzburg (following the laboratory directors' meeting). The main topics are clinical-virological or diagnostic studies, case reports and current issues concerning the future direction of clinical virology, e.g. recruitment of young scientists. In addition to the training character, the workshops are intended to provide a platform for younger scientists to present their clinical-virological projects and to use the opportunity for diverse discussions in a smaller setting.
Organisator
Dr. med. Philipp Steininger
Universitätsklinikum Erlangen
Virologisches Institut – Klinische und Molekulare Virologie
Schlossgarten 4
91054 Erlangen
Tel.: +49 9131 85-26428
Organisatorin
PD Dr. Tina Ganzenmüller
Institut für Medizinische Virologie
Universitätsklinikum Tübingen
Elfriede-Aulhorn-Str. 6
72076 Tübingen
Tel.: +49 (0)7071 – 29 80279
One Health and zoonotic viruses
The newly founded working group "One Health and zoonotic viruses" aims to promote the exchange of knowledge on the latest state of research in the field of One Health. New methods and research results are to be presented at annual workshops on the topic and young scientists and experienced researchers are to be networked.
Organisatorin
Dr. Lisa Oestereich Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin Bernhard-Nocht-Str. 74
20359 Hamburg
Tel.: +49 (0) 40 – 285 380 940
Organisator
Dr. Kevin Ciminski
University Medical Center – University of Freiburg
Center for Microbiology and Hygiene
Institute of Virology
Hermann-Herder-Str. 11
79104 Freiburg
Viral vectors for gene therapy and vaccination
Viruses already form the basis for a new class of drugs for gene therapy, oncolysis and genetic vaccination. The Viral Vectors for Gene Therapy and Vaccination working group has set itself the goal of promoting the exchange between young scientists and renowned people from basic research, clinical application and regulatory processes. To this end, an annual workshop is held in November.
OrganisatorIN
Prof. Dr. Christine Engeland
Universität Leipzig
Klinik und Poliklinik für Hämatologie, Zelltherapie,
Hämostaseologie und Infektiologie
Johannisallee 32A
04103 Leipzig
Tel.: +49 (0) 341 97-13023
Organisator
Dr. Dennis Lapuente
Universitätsklinikum Erlangen
Virologisches Institut – Klinische und Molekulare Virologie
Schlossgarten 4
91054 Erlangen
Tel.: +49 (0) 9131 85-36740
Cell biology of viral infections
The topics of the working group "Cell Biology of Viral Infections" include interactions of viruses with their host cells, i.e. in particular the biology of pro- and antiviral host cell factors, interactions of viruses with host cell organelles and their reorganisation in the course of a virus infection, as well as methodological advances in the border area of cell biology and virology.
Organisatorin
Dr. Gabrielle Vieyres
Leibniz-Institut für Virologie (LIV)
Martinistraße 52
20251 Hamburg
Organisator
Dr. Christian Sieben
Nanoscale Infection Biology Group
Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung
Inhoffenstr. 7
38124 Braunschweig
Tel.: +49 (0) 531 6181 2950
Young PI faculty
The Young PIs working group was founded in 2022 for research group leaders in basic and clinical research who do not yet hold a W2 professorship. The aim of the working group is to impart knowledge that facilitates the transition from bench to successful leadership of one's own working group.
The Young PI working group organizes meetings and workshops to provide important tips, tricks and soft skills. Furthermore, it actively promotes networking between scientists at the beginning of their independence.
Organisator
Dr. Björn Meyer
Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Krankenhaushygiene
Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg
Medizinische Fakultät
Leipziger Str. 44
39120 Magdeburg
Tel.: +49 (0) 391 67 13328
Organisatorin
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Christina Karsten
Universitätsklinikum Essen
Institut für translationale HIV-Forschung
Hufelandstr. 55
45147 Essen

Partner networks

Young Infectiologists DGI

Network Young Infection Medicine jUNITE e.V.

Young Immunologists of the DGfI

Junge DGMH

National Research Platform for Zoonoses

International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Pathogen Host Interplay Club

btS - Life Sciences Student Initiative e.V.

Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology e.V.
