Edda Schulz

Dr. Edda Schulz is a Lise Meitner Group Leader and Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, where she leads an active research laboratory focused on epigenetic regulation and chromosome biology. She has been in this position since 2020, following five years as a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the same institution. Dr. Schulz received her PhD from Humboldt Universität und Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum in Berlin, where she worked with Professors Thomas Höfer and Andreas Radbruch, and completed postdoctoral training at Institut Curie in Paris with Professor Edith Heard.

Her research program centers on X-chromosome inactivation, epigenetic regulation, and gene expression dynamics. Dr. Schulz employs cutting-edge approaches including CRISPR screening, quantitative modeling, and single-cell genomics to investigate how cells establish and maintain epigenetic states during development. Her lab has developed innovative tools like CasTuner for precise gene expression modulation and has made significant contributions to understanding how transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements coordinate Xist expression during early embryonic development.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on the molecular mechanisms of X-chromosome inactivation, with particular emphasis on cis-regulatory architecture, chromatin topology changes, and the role of transcription factor networks. Her work bridges quantitative biology with molecular genetics, often incorporating mathematical modeling to understand gene regulatory networks. The lab's research has important implications for understanding developmental disorders, stem cell biology, and epigenetic inheritance.

• EMBO Young Investigator (2022)
• ERC Starting Grant (2020)
• HFSP Career Development Award (2018)
• HFSP Long-Term Fellowship (2010-2014)
• Young Female Scientist Award for PhD thesis (2011)
• Avrion Mitchison Price for Rheumatology (2010)
• MTZ-Award for Medical Systems Biology for PhD thesis (2010)

Dr. Schulz actively mentors PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, with several successful thesis defenses documented in her lab news. She has secured competitive funding including an ERC Starting Grant and serves on the review board of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Her lab collaborates with multiple international groups and she co-organized the 2023 EMBO Workshop on X-chromosome inactivation. The Schulz Lab maintains a dynamic research environment with regular retreats, workshops, and collaborative projects, as evidenced by their active news updates through 2025.