Director positions | Medical Research

At the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, one of the 84 institutes of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, physicists, chemists and biologists create knowledge of long-term relevance to life and basic medical sciences. Currently, our around 270 employees are divided into four departments and two Max Planck Research Groups. In addition, the institute is part of the Health + Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim – an association of the leading life science research institutions in the region.

The Max Planck Institute of Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany, is due to expand significantly in the next few years, and now invites expressions of interest from (or nominations of) outstanding scientists for up to four positions as Directors of new scientific departments.

The Director of a department at a Max Planck Institute pursues a bold long-term research program and is responsible, together with the other Directors, for the overall running of the whole institute.

We are seeking exceptional candidates who will establish new departments with unique, innovative and highly ambitious research programs. Applicants should have achieved international recognition in their chosen fields, and their research should have a strong focus on developing fundamental technologies and tools which will serve as a foundation for important discoveries in biomedical research. Research areas of particular interest include – but are not limited to – applied Artificial Intelligence (AI), synthetic and chemical biology, molecular engineering and biotechnology. The main criteria are scientific and scholarly excellence and an innovative and ambitious research program, rather than current status or publication rankings.

We aim to attract the most creative scientists worldwide who demonstrate academic leadership and mentoring of the highest standard. We offer an excellent international research environment, outstanding infrastructure, generous laboratory space and long-term scientific funding. Each position is equivalent to a tenured full professorship devoted entirely to research. The working language at the Institute is English, and qualified individuals of any nationality will be considered. Strong connections and collaborations exist with the University and the other major biomedical research institutions in Heidelberg.

The Max Planck Society is a world-leading research organization with over 80 institutes, mainly in Germany, and conducts fundamental research in a wide range of areas of natural science and the humanities. The Max Planck Society is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of employment and in increasing the percentage of women among its leading scientists. Expressions of interest from, or nominations of, highly qualified women scientists are encouraged.

For more information, please contact gd@mr.mpg.de. All nominations and expressions of interest will be treated in strictest confidence. They should include a one-page research statement, including scientific achievements and future research plans, and should be sent to gd@mr.mpg.de, preferably by May 31st 2025.

The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. A daycare center for children is located near the institute.