Personalia

Klaus Rajewsky is among this year’s winners of Emory University's Max Cooper Prize in Immunology, which recognizes scientists for their “transformative and revolutionary achievements.” The three winners will be formally honored on Sept. 29, 2026, with a $100,000 prize to be shared equally.

Since August 2026, Stefanie Seltmann has headed our new Data, Information and Publication Services department. In this interview, she explains what her team does and why our researchers, and science as a whole, stand to benefit.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships are intended to support careers, foster research excellence, and provide international and interdisciplinary advanced training through cross-border mobility. Sara De Vincentiis in the Gouti lab is among this year’s winners.

As of August 15, 2026, Kirstin Bodensiek has officially taken the helm as Administrative Director of the Max Delbrück Center. She is stepping into the permanent position after leading the center on an interim basis.

The German Stem Cell Network is honoring Maike Sander with a Hilde Mangold Award. The network recognized Sander for her scientific excellence, outstanding scientific leadership, and impact as a role model for women in research.

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.