Ana J. García-Sáez

Ana J. García-Sáez serves as Professor at the University of Cologne until December 2024 and became the first female Director of the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt am Main effective October 1, 2023, succeeding Nobel laureate Hartmut Michel. She leads the newly established Department of Membrane Dynamics, focusing on molecular mechanisms of regulated cell death through biophysical investigations of cellular membranes and mitochondria.

Her academic journey began with a PhD from the University of Valencia, followed by postdoctoral research at the Technical University of Dresden. Key career milestones include appointment as Professor at the University of Tübingen less than a decade after her doctorate, then accepting a professorship at the University of Cologne in 2019, alongside prior roles as Max Planck Research Group Leader and DKFZ Junior Group Leader at Heidelberg's Bioquant center.

García-Sáez's research integrates biophysics and cell biology to decode how membrane mechanics and permeability regulate cellular disposal processes, employing state-of-the-art microscopy for single-molecule visualization. This work addresses fundamental questions about mitochondrial involvement in cell death decisions with direct medical relevance for pathologies like cancer where these mechanisms fail.

Her scientific accolades include:

• EMBO Young Investigator designation
• Henriette Herz-Scout award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
• Two competitive European Research Council (ERC) Grants

She has secured substantial research funding through dual ERC Grants and is currently establishing her laboratory infrastructure at the Max Planck Institute while maintaining Cologne affiliations through 2024. Her Department of Membrane Dynamics represents a strategic expansion of the institute's expertise into regulated cell death mechanisms, fostering collaborations with Directors Beck, Hummer, and Kühlbrandt on medically relevant biophysical research.