Ulrich Eckhard

Current Research Position. I joined the IBMB-CSIC in Barcelona in 2019 through the Beatriu de Pinós MSCA COFUND program, and since 2022, I have been a Ramon y Cajal Research Investigator and Group Leader of the Synthetic Structural Biology Lab. My research lies at the interface of structural biochemistry, protein biotechnology, and synthetic microbiology. My group focuses on three core areas: redesigning proteolytic flagellins to harness flagellar display for biotechnology and biomedicine (PID2021-128682OA-I00), investigating the role of proteases and inhibitors in health and disease (RYC2020-029773-I; 2021SGR00423; CNS2024-154537), and enzyme engineering and protein design for BioMedTech (MMT24-IBMB-01; PLEC2023-010243).

Research Trajectory. I have a strong track record in the structural biochemistry of enzymes with high potential biotechnological applications and implications in health and disease, and have consistently demonstrated high productivity in four different countries. During my PhD at the University of Salzburg, Austria (2007-2011; 7 publications), I focused on clostridial collagenases, key pathogenicity factors (Eckhard et al. 2011, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology), while during my postdoc at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada (2011-2016; 20 publications), I comprehensively characterized the human matrix metalloprotease family, key signaling scissors during inflammation and tumor development (e.g., Eckhard et al. 2016, Matrix Biology), and used state-of-the-art proteomic technologies to identify proteolytic signatures in human tissues (e.g., Eckhard et al. 2015, Journal of Proteome Research). Moreover, I led the discovery and characterization of flagella-embedded proteolysis, nature's proof of flagellar display (Eckhard et al. 2017, Nature Communications), and the cornerstone of my current core research line – the flagellar display of enzymes for biotechnological applications. I then joined Uppsala University (2016-2017; 3 publications) where I tackled the overarching question of how protein structure and function are intertwined during evolution and ecological adaptation, before returning to the University of Salzburg (2017-2019; 2 publications) to focus on the biochemistry and role of proteolytic flagellins in bacterial lifestyle.

Training Capacity. At the IBMB, I have continued my active training and mentoring of the next generation of scientists. This includes hosting 7 Erasmus+ students, directing 3 TFG and 8 TFM projects, and (co-)supervising 4 PhD theses (1 completed cum laude, 3 ongoing). Furthermore, I have contributed to the evaluation of 3 external PhD theses.

Research Productivity. I have so far published 48 peer-reviewed papers, 20 as (shared) first author and 7 as (co)corresponding, and held 4 competitive research fellowships. Moreover, 1 publication was just accepted at PLOS Pathogens (as co-corresponding author), while 2 others are under review (Preprint 1 & 2). My research coherently deals with topics of high biomedical or biotechnological relevance, ranging from bacterial pathogenicity factors (e.g., clostridial collagenases), proteolytic signatures in human cells (e.g., platelets), tissues (e.g., dental pulp), and murine cancer models (e.g., pancreas), enzyme development for celiac disease management (neprosin), and most recently, the functionalization of bacterial flagella and the use of protein design methods for BioTechMed. According to Google Scholar, I have an h-index of 27, >3300 citations, an i10-index of 40, and a cumulative impact factor of >400.