Faculty at the Max Planck School Matter to Life
In the Matter to Life Program, you will receive first-class training, highly interdisciplinary teaching and research opportunities from outstanding experts across Germany. Our Faculty is currently constituted of 48 Fellows and 12 Adjunct Fellows.
Below you will find a list of all MPS MtL Fellows, i.e. your potential PhD supervisors. Please visit the websites of the respective partner institutions to learn more about the research work of a specific Fellow.

Karen Alim
MtL research focus:
Biological Physics: Self-Organization of Shape and Function
Biological Physics: Self-Organization of Shape and Function

Philippe Bastiaens
MtL research focus:
Out-of-equilibrium biochemical 'life-like' systems
Out-of-equilibrium biochemical 'life-like' systems

Andreas Bausch

Timo Betz

Eberhard Bodenschatz
MtL research focus:
Fluid Physics, Pattern Formation and Biocomplexity
Fluid Physics, Pattern Formation and Biocomplexity

Heike Böhm
MtL research focus:
Glycans in Synthetic Biology
Glycans in Synthetic Biology

Dieter Braun
MtL research focus:
We are performing physico-chemical experiments to recreate Darwinian evolution from scratch. Our goal is to provide a working model of how life could have originated from a few RNA nucleotides in the volcanic environments of the early Earth. This will also reveal novel biotechnological applications, an example from the past is NanoTemper Technologies.
We are performing physico-chemical experiments to recreate Darwinian evolution from scratch. Our goal is to provide a working model of how life could have originated from a few RNA nucleotides in the volcanic environments of the early Earth. This will also reveal novel biotechnological applications, an example from the past is NanoTemper Technologies.

Michael Boutros
MtL research focus:
Engineering of genomes and tissues
Engineering of genomes and tissues

E. Ada Cavalcanti-Adam
MtL research focus:
Molecular and Cellular Mechanobiology
Molecular and Cellular Mechanobiology

Laura De Laporte
MtL research focus:
Advanced Materials for Biomedicine
Advanced Materials for Biomedicine

Hendrik Dietz
MtL research focus:
Biomolecular Self-Assembly & Controlling Molecular Motions
Biomolecular Self-Assembly & Controlling Molecular Motions

Tobias Erb
MtL reseach focus:
Synthetic Biochemistry: New-to-nature Enzymes, Synthetic Pathways & Articifial Cells for CO2 fixation
Synthetic Biochemistry: New-to-nature Enzymes, Synthetic Pathways & Articifial Cells for CO2 fixation

Erwin Frey
MtL research focus:
Theoretical Physics of Living Systems: Self-organisation, Fluctuations, and Pattern Formation
Theoretical Physics of Living Systems: Self-organisation, Fluctuations, and Pattern Formation

Kerstin Göpfrich
MtL research focus:
Biophysical Engineering of Synthetic Cells with DNA Nanotechnology and 3D Printing
Biophysical Engineering of Synthetic Cells with DNA Nanotechnology and 3D Printing

Ramin Golestanian
MtL research focus:
Living Matter Physics
Living Matter Physics

Frauke Gräter
MtL research focus:
Molecular Mechanisms of Mechano-Sensing
Molecular Mechanisms of Mechano-Sensing

Stephan Grill
MtL research focus:
Physics of life - Self-organization of living matter
Physics of life - Self-organization of living matter

Helmut Grubmüller
MtL research focus:
Biomolecular mechanism and function by theoretical biophysics and computer simulations
Biomolecular mechanism and function by theoretical biophysics and computer simulations

Michael Grunze
MtL research focus:
Biointerface Science
Biointerface Science

Jochen Guck
MtL research focus:
Biological optomechanics
Biological optomechanics

Stefan Hell

Andreas Herrmann
MtL research focus:
Macromolecular Materials and Systems – Sonopharmacology and Sonogenetics
Macromolecular Materials and Systems – Sonopharmacology and Sonogenetics

Anthony Hyman
MtL research focus:
Biomolecular Condensates
Copyright picture: Sven Döring
Biomolecular Condensates
Copyright picture: Sven Döring

Karin Jacobs
MtL research focus:
Experimental soft matter and biophysics: Adhesion of biomolecules and bacteria and parasites
Experimental soft matter and biophysics: Adhesion of biomolecules and bacteria and parasites

Kai Johnsson
MtL research focus:
Chemical Biology
Chemical Biology

Stefan Klumpp
MtL research focus:
Theoretical Biophysics - Physical basis of biological function
Theoretical Biophysics - Physical basis of biological function

Sarah Köster
MtL research focus:
Cellular Biophysics - Mechanics and Dynamics of the Cytoskeleton
Cellular Biophysics - Mechanics and Dynamics of the Cytoskeleton

Hans-Georg Kräusslich

Katharina Landfester
MtL research focus:
Nanoparticle protein interaction & Nanocarriers for drug delivery
Nanoparticle protein interaction & Nanocarriers for drug delivery

Reinhard Lipowsky
MtL research focus:
Hidden dimensions of self-organization
Hidden dimensions of self-organization

Martin Möller
MtL research focus:
Oligomer and Polymer building blocks for medicine and biological application
Oligomer and Polymer building blocks for medicine and biological application

Marcus Müller
MtL research focus:
Statistical Physics and Simulation of Biological and Soft Matter
Statistical Physics and Simulation of Biological and Soft Matter

Andrea Musacchio
MtL research focus:
In vitro reconstitution of cell division
In vitro reconstitution of cell division

Joachim Rädler
MtL research focus:
Soft Matter Physics and Lipid Nanoscience in Living Systems
Soft Matter Physics and Lipid Nanoscience in Living Systems
Matthias Rief
MtL research focus:
Molecular Biophysics - Function and Folding processes of proteins
Molecular Biophysics - Function and Folding processes of proteins

Tim Salditt

Franziska Schoenebeck
MtL research focus:
Origins of chemical phenomena at a molecular level. Synthesis and homogeneous catalysis
Origins of chemical phenomena at a molecular level. Synthesis and homogeneous catalysis

Ulrich Schwarz
MtL research focus:
Soft Matter and biological physics - Forces and elasticity in cell adhesion
Soft Matter and biological physics - Forces and elasticity in cell adhesion

Petra Schwille
MtL research focus:
Cell and Membrane Biophysics & Synthetic Biology
Cell and Membrane Biophysics & Synthetic Biology

Christine Selhuber-Unkel
MtL research focus:
Molecular Systems Engineering - Materials and Bioenvironments
Copyright picture: Universität Heidelberg, Kommunikation und Marketing
Molecular Systems Engineering - Materials and Bioenvironments
Copyright picture: Universität Heidelberg, Kommunikation und Marketing

Joachim Spatz
MtL research focus:
Cellular Biophysics - Engineering of Synthetic Cells
Cellular Biophysics - Engineering of Synthetic Cells
Jörg Stülke

Kai Sundmacher
MtL research focus:
Biosystems engineering and artificial life-like systems
Biosystems engineering and artificial life-like systems

Franziska Thomas
MtL research focus:
Functional Materials, Miniproteins and Protein Aggregation
Functional Materials, Miniproteins and Protein Aggregation
Hans-Robert Volpp
MtL research focus:
Analysis of homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reaction systems
Analysis of homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reaction systems
Andreas Walther

Tanja Weil
MtL research focus:
Supramolecular Biomaterials to Control Cellular Functions
Supramolecular Biomaterials to Control Cellular Functions

Richard Wombacher
MtL research focus:
Selective Protein Labeling & Bioorthogonal Chemistry
Copyright picture: Marie Staggat
Selective Protein Labeling & Bioorthogonal Chemistry
Copyright picture: Marie Staggat

Martin Zacharias

Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann
MtL research focus:
Engineering of Organotypic Tissue Models from Pluripotent Stem Cells
Engineering of Organotypic Tissue Models from Pluripotent Stem Cells

David Zwicker
MtL research focus:
Theory of biological fluids
Theory of biological fluids