People

As head of the Exercise Immunology and Health Promotion Laboratory, Christian Puta is guided by the conviction that physical activity is one of the most powerful and universally accessible modulators of immune function, resilience, and long-term wellbeing. The laboratory translates mechanistic insights from exercise immunology into evidence-based strategies that empower individuals — from healthy populations to those recovering from infection or managing infection-associated chronic illness.
Christian Puta’s research investigates the immunological and physiological consequences of exercise and infection, with a particular focus on post-exercise recovery processes. A central aim is the development of models describing dysregulated immunological and metabolic recovery — including post-exertional malaise (PEM) as a defining feature of infection-associated chronic illness such as Long COVID and ME/CFS. Building on wearable sensor technology and standardised exercise testing, he develops monitoring and rehabilitation strategies that account for individual immune phenotypes and the risk of exertion-induced symptom exacerbation.

Short biography to be added.

Master’s student in sports science and student assistant. Currently working on the development of an algorithm for the sonographic quantification of exercise-induced muscle damage (e.g. muscle fiber tears) and subsequent recovery processes. The aim of the work is to improve sports medicine musculoskeletal ultrasound diagnostics and return-to-play decision-making. Also engaged in teaching within the department.

Data scientist with a background in computer science. Works on data-driven approaches to better understand the immunological mechanisms underlying post-exertional malaise and postural orthostatic dysregulation in infection-associated chronic illness (e.g. Long COVID), using wearable-based methods to analyze physiological data (sleep, heart rate and physical activity).

Marco Herbsleb is a sport scientist and postdoctoral researcher in clinical exercise physiology at the Exercise Immunology and Health Lab, Friedrich Schiller University Jena. He also works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital. His research focuses on cardiorespiratory fitness, autonomic cardiovascular regulation, and physiological responses to exercise in healthy individuals and clinical populations. Using standardised exercise testing, heart rate and heart rate variability analysis, and functional performance assessments, he investigates exercise capacity and individual responses to physical exercise. A particular focus lies on the mechanisms underlying reduced exercise capacity and exercise intolerance in people with psychiatric disorders, as well as on the potential of individually tailored exercise interventions. His more recent research explores the relationships between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, brain health, cognition, and neuroplasticity in older adults and endurance-trained individuals. The overarching aim of his work is to translate physiological insights into evidence-based assessment and exercise interventions.

Office hours
General office hours: By appointment via email.
BAföG consultation for the B.Sc. Sport Science – Performance & Health programme: By appointment via email only.

Research interests

• Clinical exercise physiology and exercise testing
• Cardiorespiratory fitness and autonomic cardiovascular regulation
• Heart rate variability and physiological responses to exercise
• Exercise capacity and exercise therapy in people with psychiatric disorders
• Relationships between physical activity, fitness, brain health, cognition, and neuroplasticity

Exercise scientist specializing in exercise immunology. As a PhD researcher at German Sport University Cologne, she investigates the acute and chronic effects of exercise on immune cells and exerkines, with a focus on genetic, epigenetic, and physiological adaptations. Her work combines advanced immunological laboratory techniques to better understand how exercise influences the immune system in both healthy individuals and clinical populations, including post-COVID condition, depression, and obesity.

Sport scientist with a focus on heart rate variability, performance diagnostics and recovery.

Sport scientist working on the development and analysis of clinical databases of patients with post-infectious conditions. Contributes to the phenotyping of ME/CFS and Long COVID using physiological and immunological data. Also has practical experience in orthopedic rehabilitation, including knee and hip replacement and ACL reconstruction, with a focus on return-to-sport testing.

Sport scientist and medical student. Simon received his PhD from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena exploring pathophysiological aspects of post-acute infection syndromes (e.g. Long COVID, ME/CFS) in the context of the immunobiology of physical exercise. He is currently following up on this research at the Department of Internal Medicine IV with particular focus on post-exertional symptom exacerbations (i.e. PEM).

Short biography to be added.

Short biography to be added.

Postdoctoral Researcher at the University Hospital Jena, leading the educational component of the SYNOSYS.PC project (since 2025). His work focuses on bridging the gap between theory and clinical practice, specifically designing knowledge transfer for both patients and physicians. Previously, he was a research associate at the Chair of Sports Medicine and Health Promotion (2016–2025) within the KINGS project. PhD (Dr. phil.) awarded in 2022. Research focus: immunological monitoring of exercise-induced stress and recovery, and evidence-based implementation in healthcare.

Nutritional scientist specializing in sports medicine. Works on the characterization of immune-metabolic stress responses induced by anaerobic exercise, using the 1-minute sit-to-stand test as a standardized exercise test and capillary blood analyses. Focuses on immune cell dynamics, composite immune-stress indices, and alterations in lactate, glucose, and trace element concentrations.