Dr Andreas Nitsche

Dr Andreas Nitsche is the Head of the Highly Pathogenic Viruses Unit (ZBS1) at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin, Germany, and has led the German Reference Laboratory on Poxviruses since 2007. He has been a member of the WHO Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research since 2009. The ZBS1 Unit forms part of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Threats and Special Pathogens. He holds a degree in biochemistry from the Technical University of Berlin and a PhD in virology and immunology from the Free University of Berlin. In 2011, he was appointed professor of virology at Humboldt University of Berlin, joining its faculty as an adjunct professor in 2016. Since joining RKI in 2002, he has also headed the institute’s central sequencing facility, where he established next-generation sequencing capabilities. 

His research focuses on diagnostics for highly pathogenic viruses, the identification and characterization of emerging viruses, and fundamental investigations into viral pathogenesis. He has particular expertise in poxviruses, including work on prevalence studies, diagnostic test improvement, whole-genome sequencing and comparative pathogenesis. His contributions support national and international preparedness for high-threat viral pathogens.