Florian Wilfling

Florian Wilfling is a Researcher and Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, leading the 'Mechanisms of cellular quality control' research group since 2021. His work focuses on autophagy, particularly macroautophagy, exploring how cellular waste disposal systems function and their implications in diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration. He investigates autophagosome formation, cargo selection, and synchronization mechanisms using advanced techniques such as cryo-electron tomography, microscopy, and mass spectrometry.

• Education: Biochemistry, Technical University of Munich
• PhD: Yale School of Medicine (2013), funded by Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds
• Postdoc: Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (EMBO Fellowship)

Wilfling’s research combines structural and functional approaches to uncover autophagy’s role in cellular quality control. His ERC Starting Grant (€1.5M) supports projects on cargo synchronization with autophagosome formation, aiming to identify therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases. His interdisciplinary work bridges biophysics, cell biology, and molecular mechanisms.

• Awards: ERC Starting Grant, Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Fellowship, EMBO Fellowship

His grants and collaborations include the iMOL Research Training Group extension (DFG-funded) and projects on mitochondrial membrane dynamics. Wilfling’s lab employs cutting-edge imaging and proteomic tools to visualize cellular processes at near-native conditions, advancing understanding of autophagy’s role in health and disease.