New External Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
Strengthening international cooperation and scientific excellence: The Senate of the Max Planck Society appoints Jan-Michael Peters as External Scientific Member
Following a rigorous selection process, the Senate of the Max Planck Society (MPG) appointed Prof. Jan-Michael Peters, scientific director at the Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna as new external scientific member of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry. This appointment recognizes the scientists' long-standing commitment and strengthen scientific cooperation between German and international research locations.
In his new role, Peters will further strengthen the MPI of Biochemistry's network and expertise. The MPG appoints External Scientific Members to expand proven collaborations and provide new impetus for scientific exchange and joint projects.
Elena Conti, the managing director of the MPI of Biochemistry, emphasizes: "With Jan-Michael Peters, we welcome an expert whose work will greatly enrich our research profile. He embodies innovation, internationalism, leadership and exceptional support for young scientists. We are very much looking forward to working with him in the future.”
Jan‑Michael Peters is a cell and molecular biologist, and the Scientific Director of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) at the Vienna BioCenter. His laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms of genome folding and chromosome segregation in mammalian cells. It made important contributions to understanding these processes, including the discovery that genomes are organized by cohesin-mediated loop extrusion.
Peters discovered that cohesin is required for the formation of chromatin loops, which have important roles in gene regulation and recombination. His lab found that the length, lifetime and genomic position of these loops is regulated by the cohesin interacting proteins WAPL and CTCF, and that cohesin forms chromatin loops by extruding DNA. Peters also provided evidence that defects in loop extrusion might be the cause of diseases that are associated with cohesin mutations, such as developmental disorders and cancer.
Peters is an author on more than 200 publications and has received a number of awards including the Wittgenstein Award and two ERC Advanced Grants; he has coordinated several large-scale research projects, such as the European Union projects MitoCheck and MitoSys.
Peters explains, “The close connection between the MPI of Biochemistry and the IMP offers great synergies in the fields of cell biology and genomics. I look forward to building new bridges between Vienna and Martinsried and contributing my experience, including in the strategic development of research infrastructures."
External Scientific Members of the MPG
Scientific Members are appointed by the Senate of the MPG following a rigorous selection process involving the best internal MPG as well as external experts in the respective field.
By appointing renowned scientists from Germany and abroad as External Scientific Members, the Max Planck Institutes optimize and strengthen their long-term scientific contacts and opportunities for cooperation. The principle requirement for appointment as an External Scientific Member is the scientific excellence of the candidate. With this condition met, anyone who maintains or has maintained close scientific cooperation with the respective Max Planck Institute can be appointed. The process of appointment and nomination is the same as for the Scientific Members of the Institutes.