Sebastian SIEBELMANN, MD
Germany

Dr. Sebastian Siebelmann is a distinguished figure in the field of ophthalmology, with a career marked by significant academic, research, and editorial contributions. His journey began with his participation in the BSI Summer School for Immunology in 2011. From 2010 to 2012, he was an elected member of both the Research Commission and the Commission for the Promotion of Young Academics at the University of Lübeck.

Dr. Siebelmann's research has led him to several international institutions. In 2012, he conducted research at Birmingham Medical School under Prof. G. Anderson, focusing on potential molecular regulators in the development of conjunctiva-associated lymphatic tissue (CALT). He completed his doctoral thesis at the University of Cologne in 2014 on the morphology, development, and modulation of CALT under the supervision of Prof. Dr. med. Philipp Steven. The same year, he returned to Birmingham Medical School to study the detection of innate lymphoid cells in ocular surface inflammatory processes.

In 2016, Dr. Siebelmann joined the Research Unit FOR2240, focusing on lymphangiogenesis and cellular immunity in inflammatory eye diseases. He continued his research at Birmingham Medical School, investigating the role of innate lymphoid cells in dry eye, allergy, and corneal angiogenesis. In 2017, he conducted a research stay at the University of Tampere, Finland, where he explored the transplantation of inducible pluripotent stem cells in limbal stem cell transplantation.

His expertise is recognized through his membership on the editorial board of Karger "Kompass Ophthalmologie" since 2018, and his role as a teaching staff member at the European School for Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology (ESASO) in Lugano, Switzerland, since 2019.

Dr. Siebelmann's work has been acknowledged with numerous awards, scholarships, and grants. These include travel scholarships from the Society of Friends and Sponsors of the University of Lübeck, the Sicca-Research Award in 2010 and 2012, an International ARVO Travel Grant Award in 2011, and several grants from the European Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS). He was also a member of the Young Physician Leadership Program proposed by the Leopoldina in 2019, received the DOG Short-term Lectureship in Mozambique in 2020, and won the Best Paper Award of the ESCRS the same year.

In addition to his research and teaching roles, Dr. Siebelmann has been an active reviewer for numerous prestigious journals, including Acta Ophthalmologica, British Journal of Ophthalmology, Clinical Ophthalmology, and PLoS One.