Personalia

Humboldt Research Award winner and biochemist Filip Van Petegem will spend six months as a guest researcher in Misha Kudryashev’s lab. An expert in ion channels, he will study them inside intact cells using advanced cryo-electron tomography.

Altuna Akalin has been appointed a professorship at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The position will enable closer collaboration with clinicians and faster application of bioinformatics in clinical care.

The European Molecular Biology Organization has elected Holger Gerhardt and Norbert Hübner of the Max Delbrück Center to its membership. They will join a community of more than 2,200 leading life scientists who advise the organization and help shape the future of life science research.

Congratulations to Gary Lewin on his election as a new member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina! The prestigious honor recognizes his scientific accomplishments over the span of his career.

Why does obesity cause heart disease and diabetes in some people, but not in others? And how do the different types of adipose tissue influence cardiovascular disease? These are just a few of the many questions Mascha Koenen will pursue as a Junior Group Leader at HI-TAC in Mannheim.

The German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) has elected a new executive board. Our Vice Director Holger Gerhardt will continue to serve as part of the three-member leadership team. Congratulations!

The Helmholtz Institute for Translational AngioCardioScience in Mannheim/Heidelberg has appointed vascular biologist Karina Yaniv from the Weizmann Institute as its new Scientific Director. Yaniv will bridge research across institutes to fast-track therapies for cardiovascular disease.

The founding director of the Max Delbrück Center, physician and pharmacologist Detlev Ganten, celebrates his 85th birthday on March 28, 2026. Without his commitment, our research center would not exist as we know it today. Once again, we say thank you and offer our heartfelt congratulations!

Since August, Lilly Spalt has been heading Occupational Health Management at the Max Delbrück Center. Her goal is to create a supportive and healthy work environment for all staff. This year, her focus is on mental health – a wide range of measures are planned.

Mina Gouti has been awarded a professorship at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The appointment will strengthen her pioneering organoid research at the Max Delbrück Center and deepen collaboration with clinicians to advance personalized medicine.