Anthony Arie Hyman

Anthony A. Hyman FRS MAE is a British molecular cell biologist, director and scientific member at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, Germany, and honorary professor at the Faculty of Biology, TU Dresden. Since 1999 he has co-directed MPI-CBG, serving as Managing Director from 2010–2013. He is celebrated for elucidating how microtubule cytoskeleton networks control cell division, spindle positioning and cell polarity, and for discovering that membrane-less cellular compartments arise via liquid–liquid phase separation—a paradigm honoured by the 2023 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

Education:

• BSc, University College London
• PhD, University of Cambridge (1987) – thesis on establishment of division axes in C. elegans early embryonic divisions

Research Interests:
Hyman’s laboratory integrates quantitative imaging, biophysics and biochemistry to decipher cytoplasmic organization. Core themes include:
• Microtubule dynamics and spindle assembly: discovery of key stabilizing (XMAP215) and destabilizing (XKCM1) factors.
• Phase separation & biomolecular condensates: revealing how intrinsically disordered proteins and RNA demix to form liquid droplets, with implications for ALS and age-related diseases.
• Cell division parts lists: pioneering genome-wide RNAi screens in C. elegans and human cells (EU MITOCHECK & MitoSys consortia).

Scientific Awards & Honours:

• EMBO Member (2000) and Gold Medal (2003)
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, Germany’s highest research award (2011)
• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS, 2007)
• Member, Academia Europaea (2014)
• Schleiden Medal, Leopoldina (2017)
• NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Award (2020)
• Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences (2021)
• HFSP Nakasone Award (2021)
• Körber European Science Prize (2022)
• Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2023)
• Member, National Academy of Sciences (2020)
• Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (2021)

Leadership & Service:
Beyond directing MPI-CBG, Hyman served on the Strategic Advisory Board of the Wellcome Trust and co-founded Dewpoint Therapeutics to translate condensate biology into medical applications. His group continues to lead international consortia investigating the physical basis of cellular compartmentalization.

Laboratory & Teams:
The Hyman Lab at MPI-CBG comprises physicists, chemists and biologists who exploit advanced live-cell imaging, in vitro reconstitution and genome engineering to dissect how phase separation governs cytoplasmic architecture. Ongoing projects target the molecular grammar of condensate formation and therapeutic modulation in neurodegeneration.