Asifa Akhtar

Asifa Akhtar serves as Scientific Member and Director at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg and holds an Honorary Professorship at the University of Freiburg's Medical Faculty. She concurrently acts as Vice President of the Biology and Medicine Section of the Max Planck Society since 2020.

Her academic foundation includes:

• PhD from Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London (1997)
• Postdoctoral training at EMBL Heidelberg and Adolf Butenandt Institute, Munich

Dr. Akhtar's research pioneers epigenetic mechanisms through investigations of chromatin architecture, histone modifications, and long noncoding RNAs in gene expression control. Her laboratory integrates biochemical, genetic, and bioinformatic methodologies across Drosophila, murine, and human model systems to elucidate fundamental regulatory principles.

Her distinguished accolades include:

• EMBO Membership (2013)
• Leopoldina Academy Membership (2019)
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2021)
• Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2023)
• FEBS/EMBO Women in Science Award (2025)

She leads an active research group at the Max Planck Institute driving epigenetic discovery with implications for developmental biology and disease mechanisms.