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
Professor at Universität Frankfurt
Yves-Alain Barde (1989 - 1991) Neurotrophins and Receptors, MPIN
Professor at Cardiff University
Tobias Bonhoeffer (1994 - 1997) Neurophysiology, MPIN
Director at the MPI for Neurobiology, now MPI for Biological Intelligence
Frank Bradke (2003 - 2011) Axonal Growth and Regeneration, MPIN
Professor at Deutsche Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen DZNE
Barbara Conradt (1999 - 2003) Cell Death Regulation, MPIN
Professor at Universität München (LMU)
Louis J. de Gennaro (1982 - 1987) Neuronal Gene Expression, MPIN
Niels Jeroen Dingemanse (2009 - 2012) Evolutionary Ecology of Variation, MPIO
Professor at Universität München (LMU)
Irina Dudanova (2019 - 2022) Molecular Neurodegeneration, MPIN
Professor at Universität zu Köln
Joerg Epplen (1989 - 1991) Molecular Immunology, MPIN
Wolfgang Forstmeier (2004 - 2009) Individual Differences in Sexual Behavior: Proximate Mechanisms and Adaptive Value, MPIO
Scientist at the MPI for Ornithology, now MPI for Biological Intelligence
Manfred Gahr (1993 - 1998), MPIO
Director at the MPI for Ornithology, now MPI for Biological Intelligence
Magdalena Götz (1997 - 2003) Neuronal Specificity, MPIN
Professor at Universität München (LMU)
Nadine Gogolla (2014 - 2021) Circuits for Emotion, MPIN
Director at MPI of Psychiatry
Tim Gollisch (2007 - 2011) Visual Coding, MPIN
Professor at Universität Göttingen
Rosemarie Grantyn (1990 - 1995) Developmental Neurobiology, MPIN
Professor at Charité Berlin
Benedikt Grothe (1999 - 2003) Auditorischy Physiology, MPIN
Professor at Universität München (LMU)
Ilona Grunwald Kadow (2008 - 2016) Chemosensory Coding, MPIN
Professor at Technische Universität München
Uwe Heinemann † (1981 - 1986) Calcium and Neuronal Plasticity, MPIN
Director at Institute for Neurophysiology, Charité
Moritz Helmstaedter (2011 - 2014) Structure of Neocortical Circuits, MPIN
Director at MPI for Brain Research
Werner Hoffmann (1987 - 1994) Molecular Genetics, MPIN
Wieland B. Huttner (1981 - 1985) Molecular Regulatory Mechanismen, MPIN
Director at MPI for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Gerhard Isenberg (1981 - 1986) Cell Motility, MPIN
Reinhard Jahn (1986 - 1991) Structure and Function of Synaptic Vessicles, MPIN
Director at the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, now MPI for Multidisiplinary Sciences
Bart Kempenaers (1999 - 2003), MPIO
Director at the MPI for Ornithology, now MPI for Biological Intelligence
Paul Leyhausen † (1958 - 1981) Wuppertal Station, MPIV
Anne Peters (2004 - 2010) Behavioral Ecology of Sexual Signals, MPIO
Professor at Monash University
Simone Pika (2010 - 2017) Evolution of Communication, MPIO
Professor at Universität Osnabrück
Ruben Portugues (2014 - 2020) Sensorimotor Control, MPIN
Professor at Technische Universität München
Petra Quillfeldt (2006 - 2011) Behavioral Ecology of Seabirds, MPIO
Professor at Universität Giessen
Werner Risau † (1988 - 1992) Cell Biology of Brain Vessels, MPIN
Julia Schroeder (2012 - 2015) Evolutionary Biology, MPIO
Professor at Imperial College London
Björn Siemers † (2006 - 2012) Sensory Ecology, MPIO
Stefan Stamm (1995 - 2001) Neuro-specific Splicing, MPIN
Professor at University of Kentucky
Valentin Stein (2004 - 2011) Synaptic Receptor Trafficking, MPIN
Professor at Universität Bonn
Takashi Suzuki (2004 - 2012) Axon Guidance and Neuronal Connectivity, MPIN
Associate Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology
Hiromu Tanimoto (2008 - 2014) Behavioral Genetics, MPIN
Professor at Tohuku University
Gaia Tavosanis (2003 - 2011) Dendrite Differentiation, MPIN
Professor at Deutsche Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen DZNE