Dominik did his degree (Dipl.-Ing.(Univ.) equivalent MSc) in Medical Biotechnology at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. During these studies he absolved a one year placement in the laboratory of Dr. Olaf Rötzschke at the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine working on a project investigating the role of extracellular antigen loading of MHC-II molecules in the induction of autoimmune reactions. Then Dominik went on to undertake his doctoral studies (Dr. rer.nat. equivalent PhD) at the Research Center Borstel, Germany, associated with the University of Lübeck, Germany, characterising the impact and importance of the Interleukin 12 family of cytokines on the innate immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. During this time he became interested in the innate immune system and specifically the role of macrophages in the control of infectious diseases. As such he relocated to the UK in late 2007 joining the laboratory of Prof. Judith Allen at the University of Edinburgh where he studied the biology of macrophages in helminth infections. As part of these studies we discovered fundamental differences in the recruitment, activation and function of macrophages elicited by various infectious agents, specifically bacteria and helminth parasites. In early 2016 the laboratory relocated to Manchester where he was awarded a Faculty Stepping Stone Fellowship to further unravel the functional heterogeneity of macrophages and explore their beneficial potential in pathological conditions.