Alexander Stein

Dr. Alexander Stein is a Research Group Leader (Otto Hahn Group) at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, specializing in membrane protein biochemistry. He holds a Dr. rer. nat from the Free University of Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry. His research focuses on ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD), exploring molecular mechanisms of misfolded protein recognition, retrotranslocation, and degradation. He also studies protein import into the apicoplast of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. His work combines biochemical reconstitution, structural biology (e.g., cryo-EM), and yeast cell biology. Stein has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) and leads an internationally recognized research team. Contact: astein1@mpinat.mpg.de

• Résumé: Postdoc positions at Harvard Medical School (2010–2014) and MPI (2008–2009)
• Labs/Teams: Membrane Protein Biochemistry Group, affiliated with Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences

Research Interests: ERAD mechanisms, protein quality control, membrane protein dynamics, and malaria parasite biology. Key topics include how misfolded proteins are distinguished from folding intermediates, the energy requirements for membrane translocation, and structural analyses of ERAD machinery components.

Awards/Grants: ERC Starting Grant (2016), Otto Hahn Group Leader (2014–present). His research contributes to drug development targeting apicoplast functions in malaria.