Asifa Akhtar

Prof. Asifa Akhtar is Scientific Member and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology and Epigenetics (Freiburg) and Vice President of the Biological-Medical Section at the Max Planck Society. Her academic journey includes:

• PhD from Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London (1997)
• Postdoctoral research at EMBL Heidelberg and Adolf Butenandt Institute
• Group Leader at EMBL Heidelberg (2001–2009)

Her laboratory investigates epigenetic regulation through:

• Chromatin dynamics and histone modification mechanisms
• Functional roles of long non-coding RNAs
• Cross-species gene regulation in flies, mice, and humans
• Integration of biochemical, genetic, and bioinformatic methodologies

Major scientific recognitions include:

• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2021)
• FEBS|EMBO Women in Science Award (2025)
• Election to EMBO (2013) and Leopoldina (2019)
• Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2023)