Interfakultäres Institut für Mikrobiologie und Infektionsmedizin
Research team Dr. Oesterhelt
Dr. rer. nat. Filipp Oesterhelt studied Physics in Munich, Germany, and obtained his Diploma and PhD degrees in Biophysics in the group of Hermann Gaub. After his PhD he co-founded the Biotech company Nanotype, working there as Chief Scientific Officer for two years. In 2002 he returned to academia and worked the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, before starting his independent research group as a Junior Professor at the University of Duesseldorf in 2003. In 2010 he became Akademischer Rat at Düsseldorf and since 2014 is Akademischer Rat at the Department of Microbial Bioactive Compounds at the University of Tübingen.
Research focus
The research interest of Filipp Oesterhelt lies in structures of molecular complexes and interactions between biomolecules, which he studies with high-resolution imaging techniques. Using force spectroscopy he investigates protein unfolding and quantifies the forces acting between protein subunits and protein domains. In addition, he uses this technique to determine the mechanical stability of proteins. Applying atomic force microscopy he analyses supramolecular structures on bacterial surfaces. Conducting single molecule FRET measurements he investigates the structures and dynamics of protein and nucleic acid complexes. Also, he supports the imaging platform of the IMIT.
