Knut J. Heller studied biology at the Westfälische-Wilhelms-Universität in Münster, Germany, gaining his doctorate in 1977. Since 1992 he has also been head of the Institute for Microbiology at the Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Food and an honorary professor of the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel since1993. Professor Heller's research focuses on the micro- and molecular biology of lactobacilli and their bacteriophages, and the biotechnology of dairy product manufacture, as well as the biological safety of genetically manipulated starter cultures.