Profile
Torben Hodl-Kuehnast
Translational Scientist
PhD-trained scientist combining microbiome and immunology research with omics-driven analysis to build mechanistic evidence for translational R&D, with practical experience in AI-enabled workflows.
Selected achievements
Concrete signals of scientific delivery
Murine microbiome modeling with 91% taxonomic coverage
Built and applied a murine-tailored metabolic model catalog for community flux analysis, improving usable taxonomic coverage from roughly 50% to 91%.
Mechanistic cachexia work across omics and modeling
Combined 16S, WGS, NMR metabolomics, in vivo models, and metabolic modeling to connect microbial metabolite shifts with disease-relevant biology in murine cancer cachexia.
Biofilm target validation in industry-linked work
Contributed to translational microbiology projects on Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, validating extracellular DNA and surface proteins as intervention points and supporting collaboration with Origimm, now part of Sanofi.
Diagnostics experience in a SOP-driven BSL-2 setting
Performed RNA extraction, qPCR, and tmPCR while organizing high-throughput diagnostic workflows, documentation, and protocol optimization under time pressure.
Career timeline
Where the experience was built
Mar 2021 - Aug 2025
Research leadPostdoctoral Researcher (Project Lead)
Medical University of Graz
Focus: microbiome-immunology interactions, cancer cachexia, anaerobic microbiology, multi-omics integration, and metabolic modeling.
- Designed integrated studies combining 16S, WGS, NMR metabolomics, in vivo mouse models, and computational modeling for mechanistic research questions.
- Managed work with budgets up to EUR 500k, coordinated sequencing, NMR, and animal-study interfaces, and supervised students to completion.
Nov 2020 - Feb 2021
DiagnosticsLab Scientist - RNA/Virus Diagnostics
iMAH GmbH
Focus: RNA virus diagnostics, qPCR workflows, sample handling, and SOP-based laboratory operations in a BSL-2 environment.
- Performed RNA extraction, reverse transcription, qPCR, and tmPCR in a throughput-oriented diagnostic workflow.
- Established and optimized protocols while helping coordinate daily laboratory organization and quality-sensitive execution.
Sep 2019 - Oct 2020
TeachingUniversity Lecturer (parallel appointment) - Molecular Biology and Microbiology
University of Graz
Focus: parallel teaching appointment covering lectures, laboratory practicals, and structured supervision.
- Taught and supervised about 40 undergraduates through lectures and laboratory practicals.
- Built experience in onboarding, knowledge transfer, and clear communication under mixed levels of prior expertise.
Sep 2019 - Mar 2020
ESA projectPostdoctoral Researcher - Space Microbiome Literature Research
Medical University of Graz
Focus: ESA-linked literature-based research on how the human microbiome may change during long-duration travel to Mars, with emphasis on systems-level interpretation and monitoring strategy design.
- Synthesized evidence on microbiome dynamics, mission-associated risks, and practical monitoring needs for crewed Mars travel.
- Contributed to the first-author selection in Microbiome (2022), "The crewed journey to Mars and its implications for the human microbiome," translating the literature into a clear roadmap and actionable monitoring questions.
Jul 2016 - Aug 2019
PhDPhD Student - Molecular Microbiology
University of Graz
Focus: biofilms, host-microbe interactions, assay development, vaccine-antigen work, and translational microbiology.
- Developed and optimized biofilm assays, microscopy-based characterization workflows, and molecular biology methods for comparative isolate analysis.
- Completed a PhD in Molecular Microbiology with grade 1.0 while managing project work of roughly EUR 100k and contributing to industry-linked research.
Oct 2010 - Jun 2016
EducationMSc Molecular Microbiology / BSc Molecular Biology
University of Graz
Focus: formal training in microbiology and molecular biology, forming the scientific base for later translational microbiome, biofilm, and host-microbe work.
- MSc in Molecular Microbiology, Oct 2014 - Jun 2016, grade 1.4; merit-based scholarship; thesis: Establishment of biofilm assays in Propionibacterium (Cutibacterium) acnes.
- BSc in Molecular Biology, Oct 2010 - Sep 2014, grade 1.8; thesis: Molecular adaptations of extremophiles to potential extraterrestrial habitats.
Core expertise
Three areas that carry most of the value
Microbiome, immunology, and disease-relevant mechanism work
Best suited to questions that need biological interpretation, experimental grounding, and a clear link from mechanism to translational relevance.
- Host-microbe interactions and mechanistic reasoning
- Microbiome, archaeome, and anaerobic systems
- Biofilms, phenotype benchmarking, and intervention points
- Innate immune readouts, cell models, and disease-context interpretation
Multi-omics interpretation with reproducible analysis habits
Comfortable combining sequencing, metabolomics, and computational modeling when the goal is interpretable scientific evidence rather than tool accumulation.
- 16S and WGS microbiome profiling
- NMR metabolomics and integrated biological interpretation
- MICOM, gapseq, Python, R, and versioned analysis workflows
- External-provider coordination for sequencing and data generation
Structured delivery in settings where documentation and handoffs matter
Strong fit for environments that need project ownership, SOP-minded work, and steady communication across labs, providers, and stakeholders.
- Budget responsibility up to EUR 500k
- SOP writing, workflow organization, and diagnostics operations
- Student supervision, teaching, and onboarding
- Cross-functional collaboration across institutes and service providers
Selected case studies
Hiring evidence
Cachexia, microbiome, and metabolism
Context
Murine cancer cachexia required a way to connect microbiome composition, metabolite shifts, and disease-relevant biology.
Your role
Designed and executed the multi-layer study setup and integrated the computational interpretation with the experimental data stream.
Methods
16S, WGS, NMR metabolomics, in vivo models, MICOM, gapseq, Python, R, and provider coordination.
Outcome
Built and applied a murine model catalog with 91% taxonomic coverage and linked metabolite changes, including SCFA depletion and increased formate production, to cachexia-associated biology.
Hiring signal
Integrated execution across wet-lab, omics, modeling, and scientific interpretation.
Biofilm targets and translational validation
Context
Biofilm-associated skin and device-related organisms required better characterization and more actionable intervention hypotheses.
Your role
Developed assay workflows, characterized isolate behavior, and supported industry-linked target and antigen work in translational microbiology.
Methods
Microtiter biofilm assays, microscopy quantification, PCR and cloning workflows, protein analytics, and provider coordination.
Outcome
Validated extracellular DNA and specific surface proteins as biofilm-disruption targets and contributed to collaboration with Origimm, now part of Sanofi.
Hiring signal
Assay development, translational relevance, and industry-linked execution.
Applied AI workflow design
Context
Scientific and operational work often slows down when extraction, review, and reporting are repeated manually across inconsistent inputs.
Your role
Built an end-to-end workflow that keeps extraction structured, reviewable, and usable for downstream decisions.
Methods
Schema-constrained extraction, validation gates, deduplication, observability, standardized outputs, and operator-facing reporting.
Outcome
Created a workflow that prioritized traceability, persistence, and failure visibility instead of ad hoc prompting, making the system easier to trust and operate.
Hiring signal
Reviewable workflow design with validation, traceability, and operational reliability.
Selected publications
Publication signals
Comparative analyses of biofilm formation among different Cutibacterium acnes isolates
Theme fit: translational microbiology, comparative isolate analysis, and biofilm structure.
Relevance: strong signal for assay development, phenotype interpretation, and mechanistic thinking in microbiology.
The crewed journey to Mars and its implications for the human microbiome
Theme fit: systems-level microbiome interpretation and translational framing in complex environments.
Relevance: shows the ability to synthesize broad evidence into a clear scientific roadmap and practical monitoring questions.
Exploring the human archaeome: its relevance for health and disease, and its complex interplay with the human immune system
Theme fit: archaeome biology, immune interactions, and disease-relevant interpretation.
Relevance: evidence of deep domain knowledge and the ability to translate interdisciplinary literature into a coherent scientific position.
Computational metabolic modeling unveils gut microbiome's role in metabolic shifts during murine cancer cachexia
Theme fit: microbiome modeling, translational metabolism, and integrated omics interpretation.
Relevance: direct evidence for building and validating a 16S plus NMR workflow and using it for mechanistic disease interpretation.
Contact
Contact
Direct contact
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