DZL scientist Prof. Dr. Silke Meiners has been elected Vice President of the European Respiratory Society (ERS). With her election, she takes on a key leadership role in one of the world’s leading professional societies for respiratory and lung diseases. Over the next four years, she will serve as Vice President, President Elect, President, and Past President of the ERS. The election was announced during this year’s ERS Congress, held in Barcelona from 5 to 9 September 2026. Bringing together more than 20,000 experts in respiratory medicine and lung research each year, the congress is one of the largest international events in the field.
Silke Meiners has been a member of the ERS since 2010 and has been actively involved in the society in various roles over many years. Among other positions, she served as Secretary and Group Chair within ERS Assembly 3 “Basic and Translational Sciences.” From 2022 to 2025, she was Conference and Seminars Director and, in this role, a member of the ERS Science Council. Silke Meiners is also an Associate Editor for the European Respiratory Journal and European Respiratory Review.
As a scientist, Silke Meiners combines basic research with translational research and clinical application. Her research focuses, among other areas, on the role of the proteasome and immunoproteasome in lung diseases. Her work covers various respiratory diseases, including COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, and lung cancer.
Silke Meiners has also been actively involved in the German Center for Lung Research for many years. She has been a Principal Investigator in the DZL since 2011 and has served as Co-Chair of the DZL Academy since 2017. Today, she heads the “Immunology and Cell Biology” research group at Research Center Borstel – Leibniz Lung Center and holds a Leibniz Professorship for Immunoproteasome Research at Kiel University.
In her new role, she aims to further strengthen the connection between basic research and clinical application. She advocates a continuous translational approach that advances scientific discoveries through clinical trials and into patient-centered research. Promoting equal opportunities and diversity, as well as supporting early-career researchers, are also among her priorities.
The DZL warmly congratulates Prof. Dr. Silke Meiners on her election, also on behalf of the DZL Board, and wishes her every success in her new role at the ERS!
More information: Dr Marc Miravitlles becomes ERS President as newly-elected ERS officers commence mandates - ERS - European Respiratory Society
