Jochen Reinstein

Jochen Reinstein is an independent research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. He is affiliated with the University of Heidelberg, where he holds venia legendi in Biochemistry/Biophysics, and the University of Bochum, where he habilitated in Physiological Chemistry. His career spans postdoctoral work at Brandeis University and group leadership at multiple Max Planck Institutes.

• Education: Diploma in Biology (Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, 1980-1986); PhD in Biophysics (MPImF Heidelberg, 1986-1990)
• Habilitation: Physiological Chemistry (University of Bochum, 2000); Biochemistry/Biophysics (University of Heidelberg, 2005)

Research interests focus on virophage capsid assembly, molecular chaperones, protein folding, ATP-driven systems, enzyme mechanisms, and structural biology. He employs spectroscopic and structural methods, including fluorescence, CD, X-ray, and EM, to study viral capsid formation and DNA packaging motors.

Publications highlight his work on virophage capsid proteins, ClpB chaperone regulation, DEAD-box proteins, and advanced biophysical techniques like serial femtosecond crystallography and multiquantum NMR.

Labs and collaborations include the Biomolecular Mechanisms Department at MPIMR and collaborations with Matthias Fischer's working group on virophage infection pathways.