Jan-Michael Peters

Jan-Michael Peters is a Professor and Scientific Director at the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, leading groundbreaking research in mitosis and chromosome biology. His work focuses on cohesin complexes, sister chromatid cohesion, chromatin structure, and gene regulation, with major contributions to understanding DNA replication and segregation mechanisms.

• PhD: University of Heidelberg (1991)
• Postdoctoral Research: DKFZ Heidelberg and Harvard Medical School (1992)
• Group Leader: IMP since 1996
• Senior Group Leader: IMP since 2002
• Scientific Director: IMP since 2013

His research investigates how cohesin establishes and maintains sister chromatid cohesion, its role in chromatin structuring, and the molecular pathways of cohesin release via Wapl and Sororin. He also explores cohesin-CTCF interactions in gene regulation and chromatin compaction.

Scientific awards include the Birnstiel Award and Rabitsch Award. His lab receives funding from the ERC Advanced Grant (LoopMechRegFun) and Marie Curie ITN (CohesiNet).

• Grants:
  • ERC Advanced Grant (101020558 - LoopMechRegFun)
  • Marie Curie ITN (101072505 - CohesiNet)
• Awards:
  • Birnstiel Award
  • Rabitsch Award

Peters' lab contributes to large-scale projects like MitoCheck and MitoSys, aiming to develop quantitative assays for mitosis. His work has been featured in documentaries such as Meetings of Minds, collaborating with artists to explore mitosis from interdisciplinary perspectives.