Daniel Gerlich

Daniel Gerlich is a Senior group leader at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) since 2012. His research focuses on cellular self-organization, chromosome architecture, and nuclear assembly during the cell cycle.

• Study of biology at the University of Freiburg, Germany
• Diploma thesis at the Friedrich Miescher Institute, Basel, Switzerland (1997-1998)
• Predoctoral fellow at the German Cancer Research Center and University of Heidelberg (1998-2002)
• PhD at the University of Heidelberg (2002, summa cum laude)

Gerlich's research explores the three-dimensional organization of chromosomes during the cell cycle, emphasizing biophysical mechanisms and nuclear assembly post-mitosis. His work integrates high-resolution microscopy, genomics, and biochemical reconstitution to uncover how chromatin structures enable gene regulation, DNA repair, and accurate genome segregation.

His publications highlight themes such as mitotic chromosome dispersion by Ki-67, nuclear shaping via BAF protein networks, and the role of chromatin conformation in DNA repair. Recent studies focus on phase transitions in chromatin organization and surfactant-like proteins in mitotic processes.

• ERC Advanced Investigator (2021)
• EMBO member (2017)
• ERC Starting Grant (2011)
• Summer Research Award, Marine Biology Laboratory (2011)
• Dr. Ernst Th. Jucker Award for Cancer Research (2010)
• EMBO Young Investigator Award (2009)
• European Young Investigator Award (2005)