Alexander Meissner

Professor Alexander Meissner is a Scientific Member and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, where he leads the Department of Genome Regulation since 2017. He previously held positions at Harvard University, including Assistant Professor (2008) and Associate Professor (2012) in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and was promoted to Full Professor with tenure in 2015.

His research focuses on epigenetic regulation in developmental and stem cell biology, particularly DNA methylation dynamics and their implications in cancer epigenomics. He utilizes mouse models and human stem cell paradigms to explore molecular mechanisms underlying gene and genome regulation.

• PhD in Medical Biotechnology from Technical University Berlin
• PhD studies at Whitehead Institute/MIT (2002-2006)
• Postdoctoral work with Rudolf Jaenisch and Eric Lander (2006-2008)

His lab at the Max Planck Institute combines experimental and computational approaches to study epigenetic reprogramming in cancer and placental development, drawing parallels between their silencing mechanisms. In 2023, he received a 2.5 million EUR ERC Advanced Grant for decoding cancer epigenomes using developmental biology insights.

Scientific achievements include:

• ERC Advanced Grant (2023)
• Managing Director at Max Planck Institute (2019-present)
• Honorary Professor at Freie Universität Berlin (2020)

The lab also participates in the ImmunoPreCept cluster of excellence (2025) and develops high-resolution techniques for epigenome analysis.