"May your night be quiet and peaceful"

Since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) has stayed closely connected with colleagues at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT), especially with the team behind the Uragan fusion experiment more

For freedom and research

In early March, Nobel Prizes Laureates Ferenc Krausz and Serge Haroche returned from their visit to Ukraine with strong and lasting impressions. With their documentary film, the two researchers draw attention to the dramatic circumstances more

Research news

A digital bridge with the text ‘Max Planck Transatlantic Programme’. In the background, various scientific symbols are scattered across a dark background.
Support for science in the U.S.
Person wearing VR headset in forest setting.
Multisensory vs. unisensory nature experiences in Virtual Reality increase sense of wellbeing and connectedness to nature   
People from diverse ethnic backgrounds are enjoying themselves outdoors on the grass in the city park. They are laughing and looking at each other. They are dressed in colorful and vibrant clothing.
Study with data from four countries shows: accelerated demographic change is creating significant differences in the number of relatives

Annual Meeting 2025

Seated audience in St. John's Church in Magdeburg, a space with intricate wooden roof design and vibrant wall art. The audience is focused on a presentation screen.
From 24 to 26 June 2025, the Max Planck Society is hosting its annual meeting in Magdeburg, bringing together around 500 guests, including both internal members and external participants.  
Max Planck President Patrick Cramer (left) presents Edelgard Bulmahn (right) with the Harnack Medal, the research organisation's highest award
Max Planck Society honours the work of SPD politician with its highest award
Group photo of the Otto Hahn Prize winners together with Max Planck President Patrick Cramer, posing on outdoor steps surrounded by greenery and urban buildings.
Otto Hahn Medals and other awards presented to young scientists at the Annual Meeting in Magdeburg

Publications


Evaluation - The procedures of the Max Planck Society
Living and working in Germany
Annual Report 2024 cover - Max Planck Society
Cover - Highlights 2024 from the Yearbook of the Max Planck Society
Image brochure - Max Planck Society
Cover of the MaxPlanckResearch 1/2025 Science Magazine
Research is calling - We promote pioneers in science
Illustration of networks and two persons

From the Institutes


MPI for Biological Intelligence (Martinsried site), et al.
Inhibitory neurons catch up during brain development more
MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology, et al.
Microbes can reduce their need for nickel more
MPI for Biology of Ageing
Senescence uncovered: Worms show the way more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Flowering plants use a pseudoenzyme to form indole more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Mixture of defense compounds more
MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology
Social influence, not norms, drives pro-FGMC attitudes more
MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics
Running circles in the brain more
MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Stronger inhibition in the brain with age more
MPI for Chemical Ecology
Invented twice more
MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
All-in-one model reconstructs complex liver architecture more
MPI of Molecular Plant Physiology
Kinetic Coupling more
MPI for Marine Microbiology, et al.
Nitrogen loss on sandy shores more
MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology
“Gene scissors”: Synthetic CRISPR gRNAs almost always cut more
MPI of Molecular Plant Physiology
Rapid DNA repair keeps genome stable more

Topic Specials

The muddy hands of a person cupped together under a water tap in a muddy background.
In addition to climate forecasts, the consequences of climate change are increasingly becoming the focus of research at Max Planck Institutes
A schematic view from above of a human brain with many coloured fibres connecting the two halves and extending out in various directions.
The human brain is the most complex organ that nature has ever produced: 100 billion nerve cells and many times more contact points give it capabilities that no supercomputer can match
Full shot of a world map, likely a graphic design or print, overlaid with numerous passport stamps of varying colors and sizes.
The causes and consequences of human mobility and its history are central topics for research at Max Planck Institutes

Career

Full indoor shot of a large, dark-red robotic arm and a dark-red, dome-shaped object suspended from it, along with two people standing in the foreground. The arm is large and complex, with many dark-colored, flexible components and a dark-grey base.  Steps and caution tape are visible on the floor around the base of the robotic arm. A dark-red, rounded object resembles a large head or helmet, suspended from the robotic arm, hanging over the scene. The material is smooth and appears to be some kind of composite. Two individuals are centrally positioned in front of the robotic apparatus.  A man and a woman stand side-by-side, smiling, looking at the camera. Both wear casual clothing: the man wears a maroon-colored t-shirt and dark-colored pants, while the woman is wearing a teal-green sweater and dark-wash jeans. The background is mostly dark grey walls and a dark-grey floor surface. The walls appear to be made of brick-like or panelled material. The overall impression is of a technological or manufacturing environment, potentially a research lab or design studio. The image highlights a sophisticated piece of industrial machinery alongside human operators.
Talented German and foreign junior scientists are offered the opportunity to earn a doctorate under excellent research conditions
Several young people behind a glass wall looking out.
The new Max Planck Postdoc Program offers top emerging talents a range of attractive measures and opportunities

Job Offers

Doctoral / Post-Doctoral researchers (f/m/d)

Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg
July 08, 2025

Application Scientist (m/f/d) (part-time 50%)

Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried
July 04, 2025

Events

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Upcoming Events

Understanding Science in a Time of Science Denial

Jul 9, 2025 01:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology, Room: Lecture Hall / Hybrid

AGE ART „How to die young at a very old age“

Aug 22, 2025 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max-Planck-Institut für Biologie des Alterns, Room: Auditorium

Open Day at GEO600

Aug 23, 2025 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
GEO600, Schäferberg, 31157 Ruthe

Multimedia


Screenshot of the picture gallery "My Science and Me"

My Science and Me

What fascinates scientists about their research? What drives them? Science thrives on the people who shape it. Our picture gallery depicts aspects of research from the perspective of those who carry it out
Two smiling women standing looking in the direction of the camera with a dark background.

Unraveling Behavior

Podcast
A science podcast about the patterns driving human judgment and decision making. In each episode,  Ana Sofia Morais sits down with a researcher to explore how people make decisions, how they handle risk, and how our surroundings and the online world shape our behavior.
A microsopic view of a fluorescent green worm on a black background.

Cell droplet research

Video
A new hope for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. A film about the research of Anthony Hyman, who was awared the Koerber Prize 2022 and the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences 2023.
A sombre grey cartoon image of four people sitting on a bench.

Flight and Trauma

Video
Traumatic experiences from fleeing war zones can lead to distressing symptoms, which impair everyday life. Now with Ukranian sub-titles.
Optogenetics | briefly explained

Optogenetics | briefly explained

Video
Turning nerve cells on and off using pulses of light. Optogenetics is a relatively new field that uses light to control genetically modified cells. It is based on light-activated membrane proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin or channelrhodopsin, that are built into nerve cells.

Social Media

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