Postdoc Association

Postdoc Association

The PostDoctoral Association (PDA) represents all postdoctoral fellows of the MPI of Biochemistry and aims at facilitating the integration of new postdocs in the institute and at improving communication and collaboration among postdocs by organizing scientific and social events. The PDA serves as an interface between the administration of the institute and the postdocs. If you want any issues to be raised with the administration or have specific concerns, please get in touch with us.

Contact the PDA representatives

Do you have any suggestions or wish to get involved? Please contact us!

  • Patricia Ogger – Representative
  • Thierry Nordmann  – Representative
  • Forian Rosenberger – Representative
  • David Depierre – Representative

Contact other postdocs

Subscribe to the MPIB Postdoc mailing list

Once your subscription is activated, you can receive updates on events, conversations and any other news via PDAs. You can also contact other MPIB Postdocs by sending an email to the . 

Join the Munich Postdoc Network

Get to know our founder members, check out how to contact us and connect with other postdocs in Munich. On our website you will also find useful information about funding opportunities, career development, events and more. more


Annual retreats

The annual retreat is a two-day event that provides a great opportunity to meet fellow postdocs, discuss research/career-related issues, and network in an informal and friendly environment. The retreat usually takes place at some picturesque location near Munich and includes a talk by an invited keynote speaker, career-related workshops, short talks by postdocs, and social activities. The first retreat was organized by Jacob Verghese in 2015. The 6th retreat was planned for October 2020, but now postponed to the spring 2021 due to the pandemic. As always, we are looking for volunteers to help with organizing the event (i.e. selecting and inviting external speakers, booking a venue). Your active contributions and participation are essential to make it all possible!

Previous retreats

Invited speakers


Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, MPI Biochemistry (2023)

John Briggs, MPI Biochemistry (2023)

Herbert Schiller, Helmholtz Munich (2023)

Mareike Göritz, Max Planck innovation (2023)

Johannes Müller‐Reif, MPI Biochemistry (2023)


Amelie Heuer-Jungemann, MPI Biochemistry (2022)

Oleksiy Kovtun, MPI Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen (2022)

Lisa Fenk, MPI Biological Intelligence i.f. (2022)

Iris Helfrich, Faculty of Medicine, LMU (2022)

Saurabh Gautam, Boehringer Ingelheim, Innsbruck (2022)

Sebastian Virreira Winter, OmicEra Diagnostics, Planegg (2022)

Michael Heymann, University of Stuttgart (2022)

Kristina Ganzinger, AMOLF, Amsterdam (2022)

Leon Harrington, D Young & Co (2022)

Florian Brod, Bavaria Nordic (2022)


Samantha Morris, Washington University in St. Louis (2019)

Ino Agrafioti, ERC Executive Agency (2019)

Jacob Verghese, Trophic Communications (2019)

Sebastian Virreira Winter, MPIB (2019)


Tricia Serio, UMass Amherst (2018)

Kristina Ganzinger, AMOLF (2018)

Danny Nedialkova, MPIB (2018)

Maria Spletter, LMU (2018)

Karim El Kasmi, Boehringer Ingelheim (2018)


Christian Luber, Novo Nordisk, Denmark (2017)

Maria Spletter, LMU (2017)

MPIB core facilities (2017)


Ragnhildur Thóra Káradóttir, MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge (2016)

Harald Luksch, TUM, Munich (2016)

Dieter Langosch, TUM, Munich (2016)

MPIB core facilities (2016)


Benjamin Podbilewicz, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (2015)

MPIB core facilities (2015)


Lunch seminars

Lunch seminars foster informal discussions about ongoing projects as well as any other research-related topics in a cozy atmosphere with pizzas and beverages. The seminars are held monthly in a seminar room of the Schwille Dept. If you wish to present your project and ideas or practice your talk prior to an important meeting, you are very welcome to contact the PDA representatives.

Lunch seminars in 2019:

  • Bastian Bräuning (Schulman Dept), 17/01/2019

Reconstituting transmembrane protein ubiquitination by E3 ligases

  • Maria Tanzer (Mann Dept), 7/2/2019

Quantitative proteomic analyses reveal release of lysosomal components during necroptosis

  • Courtney Klaips (Hartl Dept), 4/4/2019

The Hsp40 Sis1 Enables Recognition of Pathogenic Protein Aggregates and General Stress Response Potentiation

  • Valentina Mengoli (Zachariae RG), 9/5/2019

How to coordinate meiotic divisions and gametogenesis in yeast

  • Vinay Murtadek (Biological Industries), 17/10/2019

Transitioning to an Industry job in Germany: my experiences of the job-search journey

  • Alexandra Davies (Borner RG), 8/11/2019

Using a proteomic microscope to uncover the molecular mechanism of the rare neurological disorder AP-4 deficiency syndrome


Social events

Please ensure you are included into the PDA mailing list to receive the information about upcoming social events. If you have any suggestions and ideas, you are welcome to contact .

Welcome Guide

The newest version is available HERE for download.

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