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