Mirco Schmolke studied biology in Münster, Germany with a specialization in zoology and microbiology. His PhD thesis at the Robert Koch Institute (Berlin, Germany) focused on the molecular mechanism of action of stem specific, broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV gp41. These antibodies are often found in patients, who control an HIV infection in absence of antiretroviral therapy. As a postdoc he worked in Germany and the United States on molecular pathology of influenza A viruses (IAV) with a focus on the innate/inflammatory response of the host. Since 2014 his group at the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, CMU, University of Geneva, investigates the effects of IAV infection on bacterial colonisation of host mucosal surfaces and the function of viral accessory proteins in the pathology of IAV. Viral accessory proteins are not required for the replication of a virus, but are often essential to antagonise modulate inflammatory antiviral host responses. His research group uses these viral strategies to better understand the function of inflammation in context of infectious disease settings and to develop better vaccines against viral infections.