Max Planck Colloquium “Systems-oriented Biotechnology and Bioengineering”
8th to 10th April 2026, Max Planck Institute Magdeburg
This event will be a vibrant gathering of researchers from around the globe that span a diverse range of topics.
Everybody who is interested, is cordially invited to attend.
Venue
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems
Sandtorstraße 1
39106 Magdeburg
All presentations will take place in the Big Seminar Room “Prigogine”.
Dial-in via Zoom: We will send you the Zoom link upon request.
Programme // Schedule
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 |
| Time | Speaker/Abstract/ Short CV | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 08:45-09:00 | Peter Benner | Opening / Presentation of the institute |
| 09:00-09:45 | Dora Tang (Univ. Saarland, Saarbrücken, GER) | Reimagining cellular function- from principles to possibilities |
| 10:00-10:45 | Kerstin Göpfrich (Univ. Heidelberg, GER) | RNA design: New folds for synthetic cells |
| BREAK | Lab Tour, Networking, Lunch | |
| 14:00-14:45 | Seraphine Wegner (Univ. Münster, GER) | Programming Life with Light: Bottom-Up Synthetic Biology from Synthetic Cells to Multicellular Systems |
| 15:00-15:45 | Tae Seok Moon (JCVI, La Jolla (CA), USA) | Systems and synthetic biology: constructing smart and programmable microbes and microbiota to address global problems |
| Evening | Dinner for all speakers |
Thursday, April 9, 2026 |
| Time | Speaker/Abstract/ Short CV | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 08:55-09:00 | Peter Benner | Opening |
| 09:00-09:45 | Pablo Iván Nikel (DTU, Lyngby, DEN) | Systems biotechnology as a framework to explore the chemical boundaries of living cells |
| 10:00-10:45 | Nico Callewaert (VIB-UGhent Center for Medical Biotechnology, BEL) | Exploring and rebuilding the eukaryotic secretory system enables new biopharmaceuticals |
| BREAK | Lab Tour, Networking, Lunch | |
| 14:00-14:45 | Johan Rockberg (KTH, Stockholm, SWE) | Building Biology: Directed Evolution, Cell Factories and Realization of Curative Therapies |
| Evening | Dinner for all speakers |
Friday, April 10, 2026 |
| Time | Speaker/Abstract/ Short CV | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 08:55-09:00 | Peter Benner | Opening |
| 09:00-09:45 | Falk Harnisch (UFZ, Leipzig, GER) | Engineering Bio|Electro|Chemical Technologies |
| 10:00-10:45 | Alexander Grünberger (KIT, Karlsruhe, GER) | Multiscale Bioprocess Engineering From Single-Cell Physiology to Industrial Biomanufacturing |
| BREAK | Lab Tour, Networking, Lunch |
Subject to alterations and changes. Last update 13 March, 2026