Elly Tanaka

Elly Tanaka is the Scientific Director at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and an internationally renowned developmental biologist. Prior to this role she spent 2016-2024 as Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) in Vienna, 2008-2016 as Full Professor at Technische Universität Dresden, and 1999-2008 as Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology & Genetics in Dresden.

Education

• 1993 – Ph.D. Biochemistry, University of California, San Francisco (Advisor: Marc W. Kirschner)
• 1987 – A.B. Biochemistry, Harvard University (Advisor: Lawrence S.B. Goldstein)

Research Focus

Her laboratory investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying vertebrate regeneration, with special emphasis on spinal-cord repair, limb development and regeneration, and the biology of neural stem cells. Using state-of-the-art animal models and genetic approaches, the Tanaka group seeks to understand how differentiated tissues can be coaxed to regenerate after injury.

Scientific Awards & Recognition

• 2025 Wittgenstein Award (Austria’s highest science prize)
• 2025 Schleiden Medal (German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina)
• Election to the Austrian, German and U.S. National Academies of Sciences
• ERC Advanced Grant (2012) and several other major international prizes

Leadership & Collaboration

As Scientific Director of IMBA, Tanaka now steers one of Europe’s leading centres for molecular biotechnology, fostering interdisciplinary research and next-generation training. She has mentored numerous post-doctoral researchers and graduate students and continues to lead collaborative projects across European and North-American institutions.