Andreas Mayer

Andreas Mayer is a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, where he has led his independent research group since 2017. He holds a Diplom-Biology (2002-2007) and Ph.D. (summa cum laude, 2007-2012) from Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, with postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School (2012-2016). In August 2025, he will become Professor of RNA Biology and Genomics at the Medical University Innsbruck, Austria, where he will also serve as Director of the Institute of Genomics and RNomics.

His research focuses on genome transcription regulation with particular emphasis on:

• RNA polymerase II transcription mechanisms and transcriptional pausing
• Functional genomics approaches to study stem cell differentiation
• Roles of BET proteins in transcription elongation and RNA processing
• Enhancer function and chromatin dynamics in gene regulation
• Development of high-resolution genomic techniques including NET-Seq

His laboratory employs neuronal differentiation models to investigate transcriptional dynamics during cell fate determination.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals strong research trends in transcription regulation, particularly focusing on BRD4-mediated control mechanisms, enhancer function, RNA isoform dynamics in neuronal development, and innovative genomic methodologies. His work consistently bridges molecular biology with functional genomics approaches.

Dr. Mayer has received numerous scientific honors including:

• Human Frontier Science Program Long-Term Fellowship (2013-2016)
• EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (2012-2013)
• Paula and Richard von Hertwig Award for interdisciplinary cooperation (2012)
• Römer Award for Ph.D. work (2010)

He leads an active research team with current PhD students Lukas Behrens, Nicole Eischer-Nandhamoori, Mario Rubio, and Zhihao Shao. His group participates in the Collaborative Research Centre 1678 investigating mRNA homeostasis under cellular stress conditions. The Mayer Lab has developed specialized protocols for subcellular RNA sequencing and transcriptional profiling.