Director of the Research Unit Analytical Biogeochemistry
Prof. Dr. Dr. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin
"High-resolution chemical cartography of human biofluids is enabling the discovery of new bioactive metabolites. By combining metabolomics with single-cell phenotyping through advanced analytical approaches, we can better understand the diversity of expotypes and their effects on human health."
Academic Career and Research Areas
Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin is a leading expert in metabolomics and environmental exposome profiling, employing advanced high-resolution analytical techniques. He conducts tailored analyses of metabolites, both from biological processes and non-enzymatic chemistry, within nutritional and health-related studies. Utilizing cutting-edge separation techniques and mass spectrometry, including 12 Tesla FT-ICR-MS, alongside high-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and sophisticated bioinformatics, allows him the detailed molecular characterization of complex organic systems. Over the past two decades, Philippe has focused on establishing mass spectrometry as a rapid and robust tool for deep metabotyping, profiling the metabolite composition of diverse exposomes, such as foods, drinking water, and environmental samples and assessing their effect on human health. Recent developments in his work integrate these analytical methods with single-cell phenotyping and high-content cell painting, enabling non-targeted functional metabolomics.
Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin received his diploma as an engineer (1987) and MSc (1990) from the Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine (INPL) in Nancy, France. In 1995, he successfully passed his first doctoral thesis in ecological chemistry at the Technical University of Munich, followed by his second PhD in 1996, conferred by the Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine (INPL). Philippe started his professional career in 1995 at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Athens, Georgia, and went on as a young scientist at the Institute of Ecological Chemistry (IOEC) of the Gesellschaft für Strahlenforschung (GSF) in Attaching, Germany. In 2001, he became group leader and later on a research unit leader of IOEC at Helmholtz Munich. Since 2011, he is the director of the independent research unit Analytical Biogeochemistry at Helmholtz Munich and head of the Foodomics Platform at the Technical University of Munich.
Philippe is currently appointed as professor and expert in several european committees:
- Science Advisory Board (SAB) “miTarget 5042” DFG research group on Chronic intestinal diseases
- Science Advisory Board (SAB) of the French Metabolomics National investment "MetaboHub"
- President of the Science Advisory Board (SAB) of laboratoire de Procédés Alimentaires et Microbiologiques at the Université de Bourgogne, France
- Scientific expert of the Institut Francais du Pétrole et des Energies Nouvelles (IFPEN)
- Science Advisory Board (SAB) at the French FT-ICR-MS network (TGE FTICR (FR3624)
- Université Franco-Allemande (UFA) / Deusch-Französische Hochschule (DFH)
Fields of Work and Expertise
Metabolomics Food Science Analytical Chemistry Big Data Biotic and Abiotic Processes
Professional Background
Honorary Professor at the Amity Institute of Microbial Technology of the Amity University, India and Guest Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
Faculty Member at the Department of Chemistry of the Punjab University, India
Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland, USA
Director of Research Unit Analytical Biogeochemistry at Helmholtz Munich and Head of the Comprehensive Foodomics Platform at the Technical University of Munich
Habilitation at the Technical University of Munich
Honors and Awards
- 2025 - Les Ambassadeur de CNRS Chimie
- 2021 - Power List 100 of The Analytical Scientist
- 2018 - Nomination for the Spiers Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry
- 2015 - Nomination for the Gay Lussac Price
