Former directors and group leaders

High quality research has a long tradition at Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence. Complying with the Max Planck concept of promoting excellency, this research is consolidated in departments and Independent Research Groups. The list below details the leaders, dates and names of former groups and departments of the institute and its predecessor institutes:

the MPI for biological Intelligence (MPI-BI), since 2022
the MPI for Ornithology (MPIO), 1999 to 2021, Seewiesen location (until 2019 including Radolfzell location)
the MPI of Neurobiology (MPIN), 1984 to 2021
the MPI for Behavioral Physiology (MPIV), 1954 to 1999

Former Directors

Jürgen Aschoff † (1958 - 1981), MPIV

Yves-Alain Barde (1991 - 2000) Department Neurobiochemistry, MPIN

Peter Berthold (1998 - 2004) Department Bird Migration, MPIO

Iain Couzin (2014 - 2019) Department Collective Behaviour, MPIO - now director at the MPI of Animal Behaviour, Radolfzell/Konstanz

Albrecht Faber † (1957 - 1961), MPIV

Eberhard Gwinner † (1991 - 2004) Department for Biological Rhythms and Behaviour, MPIO

Albert Herz † (1972 - 1989) Department Neuropharmacology, MPIN

Erich von Holst † (1954 - 1962), MPIV

Franz Huber † (1973 - 1993), MPIV

Gustav Kramer † (1958 - 1959), MPIV

Georg W. Kreutzberg † (1978 - 2000) Department Neuromorphology, MPIN

Konrad Lorenz † (1954 - 1973), MPIV

Hans Dieter Lux † (1972 - 1992) Department Neurophysiology, MPIN

Horst Mittelstaedt † (1960 - 1991), MPIV

Dietrich Schneider † (1964 - 1985), MPIV

Hans Thoenen† (1977 - 1996) Department Neurochemistry, MPIN

Hartmut Wekerle (1988 - 2012) Department Neuroimmunology, MPIN

Wolfgang Wickler (1973 - 1999), MPIV

Martin Wikelski (2007 - 2019), Department of Migration MPIO - now director at the MPI of Animal Behaviour, Radolfzell/Konstanz

Former Research Group Leaders

Amparo Acker-Palmer (2001 - 2008) Signal Transduction, MPIN

Yves-Alain Barde (1989 - 1991) Neurotrophins and Receptors, MPIN

Tobias Bonhoeffer (1994 - 1997) Neurophysiology, MPIN

Frank Bradke (2003 - 2011) Axonal Growth and Regeneration, MPIN

Barbara Conradt (1999 - 2003) Cell Death Regulation, MPIN

Louis J. de Gennaro (1982 - 1987) Neuronal Gene Expression, MPIN

Niels Jeroen Dingemanse (2009 - 2012) Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, MPIO

Irina Dudanova (2019 - 2022) Molecular Neurodegeneration, MPIN

Joerg Epplen (1989 - 1991) Molecular Immunology, MPIN

Wolfgang Forstmeier (2004 - 2009) Individual Differences in Sexual Behavior: Proximate Mechanisms and Adaptive Value, MPIO

Manfred Gahr (1993 - 1998), MPIO

Magdalena Götz (1997 - 2003) Neuronal Specificity, MPIN

Nadine Gogolla (2014 - 2021) Circuits for Emotion, MPIN

Tim Gollisch (2007 - 2011) Visual Coding, MPIN

Rosemarie Grantyn (1990 - 1995) Developmental Neurobiology, MPIN

Benedikt Grothe (1999 - 2003) Auditorischy Physiology, MPIN

Ilona Grunwald Kadow (2008 - 2016) Chemosensory Coding, MPIN

Uwe Heinemann (1981 - 1986) Calcium and Neuronal Plasticity, MPIN

Moritz Helmstaedter (2011 - 2014) Structure of Neocortical Circuits, MPIN

Werner Hoffmann (1987 - 1994) Molecular Genetics, MPIN

Wieland B. Huttner (1981 - 1985) Molecular Regulatory Mechanismen, MPIN

Gerhard Isenberg (1981 - 1986) Cell Motility, MPIN

Reinhard Jahn (1986 - 1991) Strukture and Function of Synaptic Vessicles, MPIN

Bart Kempenaers (1999 - 2003), MPIO

Paul Leyhausen † (1958 - 1981) Wuppertal Station, MPIV

Anne Peters (2004 - 2010) Behavioral Ecology of Sexual Signals, MPIO

Simone Pika (2010 - 2017) Evolution of Communication, MPIO

Ruben Portugues (2014 - 2020) Sensorimotor Control, MPIN

Petra Quillfeldt (2006 - 2011) Behavioral Ecology of Seabirds, MPIO

Werner Risau † (1988 - 1992) Cell Biology of Brain Vessels, MPIN

Julia Schroeder (20012 - 2015) Evolutionary Biology, MPIO

Björn Siemers † (2006 - 2012) Sensory Ecology, MPIO

Stefan Stamm (1995 - 2001) Neuro-specific Splicing, MPIN

Valentin Stein (2004 - 2011) Synaptic Receptor Trafficking, MPIN

Takashi Suzuki (2004 - 2012) Axon Guidance and Neuronal Connectivity, MPIN

Hiromu Tanimoto (2008 - 2014) Behavioral Genetics, MPIN

Gaia Tavosanis (2003 - 2011) Dendrite Differentiation, MPIN