Professor Matthias Boll is an eminent researcher in the field of microbial metabolism, ranging from environmental microbiology to microbial biochemistry and biotechnology. He studied biology at the University of Freiburg and obtained his PhD in the group of Prof. Georg Fuchs at the Universities of Freiburg and Ulm. After a postdoctoral period with Prof. David Lowe at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK, he returned to the University of Freiburg as assistant and associate professor. In 2006 he was appointed full professor at the University of Leipzig, Institute of Biochemistry. Prof. Matthias Boll returned to the University of Freiburg in 2012 to take over the Department of Microbiology. Prof. Matthias Boll was awarded the PhD Prize of the German Society of Applied and General Microbiologists and the Hans Griesebach Prize of the University of Freiburg, Faculty of Biology. He has coordinated collaborative research centres funded by the German Research Council and the German Ministry of Education and Research.