Scientific Director

Prof. Dr. Maike Sander

Maike Sander serves as Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (Max Delbrück Center).

She has held this position since November 1, 2022, and is also Professor of Pancreatic Organoid Research and Disease Modeling at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Sander began her scientific career studying medicine before pursuing research in developmental biology and genetics. She held faculty positions at the University of California, Irvine, and the University of California, San Diego, where she built an internationally recognized research program focused on pancreatic islet biology and the mechanisms of beta cell failure in diabetes. Her work has provided fundamental insights into pancreas development, beta cell plasticity, and regenerative strategies for diabetes.

Prior to joining the Max Delbrück Center, Sander served as Director of the Pediatric Diabetes Research Center and Co-Director of the Institute of Engineering in Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. In these roles, she advanced interdisciplinary research initiatives and strengthened translational efforts bridging discovery science and clinical application.

Her honors include the Grodsky Award from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Humboldt Research Award, and the Albert Renold Prize from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). She is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the Association of American Physicians, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), and the Academia Europaea.

Sander received her medical degree from Heidelberg University and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco.