Max Planck School Matter to Life

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Max Planck School Matter to Life

Kontaktinformationen, Karte und Wegbeschreibungen, Kontaktformulare, Öffnungszeiten, Dienstleistungen, Bewertungen, Fotos, Videos und Ankündigungen von Max Planck School Matter to Life, Hochschule und Universität, Jahnstraße 29, Heidelberg.

The Max Planck School Matter to Life (MPS MtL) offers a 5-year Master to PhD Direct Track Program to highly talented and motivated students from all over the world.

14/01/2026

Happy New Year from the Max Planck School Matter to Life! 🎆 ✨

We’re excited to kick off 2026 with a rescheduled talk in the Matter to Life Lecture Series:
“Droplets Come to Life” by MtL Fellow David Zwicker from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization.

Join us next Wednesday at 3 pm on Zoom! Register here: https://bit.ly/4qVFMax

What to expect: "Droplets, which organize the cytosol of present-day cells, might have played a crucial role in the origin of life. These droplets form complex, active entities, which exhibit surprisingly many traits commonly associated with living creatures. In this talk, I will demonstrate physical principles of how molecules spontaneously organize into droplets. These droplets form well-defined entities separated from their surroundings and can metabolize elements in their vicinity to control their size and shape, move around, and even divide. Despite these hallmarks of life, current models lack the internal complexity required for information processing and the adaptation necessary for evolution. I will briefly speculate on how we could incorporate these aspects in the future."

09/01/2026

Our PhD candidate Christoph Karfusehr will defend his PhD thesis next Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 3 pm, and anyone interested can join the talk via zoom!

In his talk, Christoph will present his work on the development of a lipid-inspired DNA origami self-assembly framework for building functional, cell-sized containers.
Christoph pursued his PhD under the supervision of MtL Fellow Friedrich Simmel at the TU Munich.

Use this opportunity and register now on Zoom 👉 https://bit.ly/4prA7Yz

19/12/2025

Happy holidays from the Max Planck School Matter to Life! 🎄❄️

Our Lecture Series will be back next year, exploring “What is life?” with free talks by our MtL faculty via Zoom Webinar. Mark your calendars, stay curious, and see you in 2026 🙌

After we had to cancel his talk previously, we are glad to welcome David Zwicker from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization on January 21st! We are looking forward to learning about "Droplets Come to Life" 👏

From February to May, you can then meet some of our newest faculty members that joined MtL in October: Seraphine Wegner (leads the Research Group “Light-controlled Systems” at WWU Münster - Münster University), Roman Sarott (leads the Research Group “Chemically Induced Proximity” at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research), Laura Heinen (leads the Research Group “System Materials” at the DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials) and Thomas Scheibel (Chair of Biomaterials at the Faculty of Engineering at Uni Bayreuth and the Director of the Bavarian Polymer Institute).

Each talk is followed by a Q&A session, offering you the opportunity to ask the speaker anything related to their work!

👉 Register now on our website: https://bit.ly/2VhEOME

04/12/2025

From midnight study sessions to breakthrough experiments — this journey paid off 👏

Meet Dr. Anastassiya Schramm, who completed her PhD in the lab of MtL Fellow Joachim Spatz at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg.

Her thesis, “Design of Near Infrared Light-Responsive Vesicle-Based Cargo Delivery Platform,” explored how lipid vesicles and gold nanorods can work together to release cargo on command and in specific targets. By tuning how these nanorods attach to membranes, she built a modular system that can adapt to different therapeutic and diagnostic needs 🙌

The interdisciplinary setup of MtL played a key role in her success, helping her collaborate across chemistry, biology, engineering, and optics, and build the skills to navigate complex projects with confidence.

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate her achievements and thrilled to see where her curiosity takes her next! 🎉

03/12/2025

Let’s wrap up the year with an MtL Lecture Series Christmas Special! 🎄❄️

For this next lecture, we are looking forward to welcoming Dr. Michael Levin from Tufts University in Medford as a guest speaker! He will speak about “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of the Behavioral Sciences in Developmental Biology and Bioengineering”. Register now on Zoom 👉 https://bit.ly/4rAOUT8

Abstract:
"In this talk, I will describe our work on formalisms for the emerging field of diverse intelligence: behavioral competencies of a wide range of active embodiments. Specifically, I will describe how we use cellular collectives, and their navigation of anatomical space during embryogenesis, regeneration, and cancer suppression, as a model system for learning to communicate with unconventional agents. I will describe our use of bioelectricity as an interface to test these ideas with applications in birth defects, regenerative medicine, and oncology. I will show specific examples, arguing that the cybernetic (goal-directed) models from behavioral and cognitive science are a much better fit, than conventional open-loop emergence and complexity, to the data we already have and the engineering endpoints we need to achieve. Toward the end, I will describe our work on bioengineered synthetic novel life forms, which raise questions about non-evolutionary origins of properties and setpoints, which bring us full circle to the famous essay whose title inspired mine: the (entirely reasonable) effectiveness of mathematics in physics (and well beyond)."

21/11/2025

How can DNA be used to build optical tools that help us see and understand biological processes? 🧬

Tune in next week to our next virtual lecture by MtL Fellow Viktorija Glembockyte from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg. She will introduce you to her work on "Engineering Optical Nanoscale Tools with DNA".

The MtL Lecture Series offers free public talks that give a direct look into the research of our faculty. Each session brings you closer to the science, ideas, and discoveries that shape Matter to Life. 🤝

Here's a sneak peek:
"Optical labels and sensors are invaluable tools for understanding biological processes and dissecting disease mechanisms. The advent of single-molecule and super-resolution imaging techniques has placed increasingly stringent demands on these probes, necessitating high photostability for labels and single-molecule sensitivity with high optical contrast for sensors. This lecture will discuss our recent efforts to address these challenges by combining single-molecule imaging with DNA nanotechnology."

Register now 👉 https://bit.ly/4p3Nn6n

19/11/2025

Matter to Life means something different to everyone. Our PhD candidate Nitin Bohra shares what it means to him 👏

18/11/2025

Taking Science to new heights — literally! 🏔️✨
This August, our PhD candidates, Fellows, and invited speakers convened at 2,962 m on Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze, for a four-day symposium full of research, collaboration, and breathtaking views.

From inspiring scientific talks and hands-on workshops to gondola rides🚡, shared meals, and a meteor shower above the clouds — the retreat offered new and heightened perspectives in every sense. ✨

Topics ranged from synthetic immune cells and neural self-organization to RNA design and quantum sensing at Bosch, showcasing the full interdisciplinary strength of Matter to Life.

A huge thank you to all speakers and participants for bringing along their curiosity, expertise, and energy to this unforgettable high-altitude gathering - and especially to Sophia and Irene, who organized the retreat.

Read the full recap 👉 https://bit.ly/4phRM5w

14/11/2025

💡 From bench to algorithms — meet Andrey!

During his Master’s phase at , Andrey explored how the worlds of biology and computation collide in the exciting field of protein design.

Working under MtL Fellows Petra Schwille from Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and Hendrik Dietz from TU München, Andrey bridged wet-lab experiments with computational approaches — from designing new proteins to exploring how machine learning tools like AlphaFold2 transform research.
Along the way, he became part of the vibrant "Protein Design Stammtisch" in Munich, where researchers exchange ideas, share insights, and collaborate across disciplines.

Andrey is now continuing his PhD in Petra Schwille's Lab, pushing the boundaries of synthetic biology and bioengineering. 🚀

Read more about his journey on our website 👉 https://bit.ly/4qXjQfU

10/11/2025

🎓 Meet Dr. Florian Aubermann, who completed his PhD in Matter to Life!

His research was carried out in the lab of MtL Fellow Joachim Spatz at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, where he applied droplet microfluidics to explore the dynamics of immune cell function.

Reflecting on his time at MtL, he shares how the interdisciplinary nature of the program shaped his approach to science, empowering him to bridge disciplines 🙌

We’re proud to celebrate his achievements and excited to see where his scientific journey leads next. Congratulations, Florian! 🎉

07/11/2025

🔬 MtL Lecture Series – Alumnus Special! 🎓✨
"Turning Peptides into Drugs - Protacs and Permeability"

Join us for a special lecture where MtL alumnus Philipp Baur will share insights from his postdoctoral research experience at The University of Queensland.

Explore cutting-edge drug design with us and hear how Philipp’s journey from Matter to Life shaped his path in research!

📍 Our virtual lecture series is free and open to all. Register now at https://bit.ly/4qIZdUR!

03/11/2025

Switches and Signals: A Chemist’s Journey into Cell Biology

Coming from a chemical background, our PhD candidate M***a’s foray into cell biology has significantly reshaped his perspective on living systems. During his practical training on Signaling Dynamics in Tissue Repair at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, he explored the intricate mechanisms of cell signaling.

M***a did his lab rotation under the mentorship of our former Fellow Philippe Bastiaens, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
M***a was inspired by a shared commitment to scientific rigor and unbiased treatment in academia. His research focused on the toggling dynamics between the epidermal growth factor receptor and Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatases γ, and how the switch from cellular migratory to proliferative state is dictated by this bistable system and EGF levels.
Utilizing advanced imaging techniques, M***a observed differences in ERK kinase activity in various cell types, linking these findings to potential implications in cancer metastasis.

M***a’s experience emphasized the power of interdisciplinary approaches and the necessity of adapting one's scientific reasoning across different fields.

Read more about M***a's practical training 👉 https://bit.ly/4hFeOAx

Adresse

Jahnstraße 29
Heidelberg
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Telefon

+4915172126775

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