Herwig Baier

Prof. Dr. Herwig Baier is the Director of the Genes – Circuits – Behavior department at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence. He is a regular member of the Munich Cluster for Systems Neurobiology (MCN) and the Graduate School in Systemic Neuroscience (GSN). His research focuses on understanding how neuronal circuits integrate sensory inputs and internal states to generate behavior, using zebrafish and cichlids as model organisms.

• Education: Biology studies at University of Konstanz, PhD (1995) at Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, postdoc at University of California, San Diego (1995-1998).
• Academic Roles: Professor at University of California, San Francisco (1998-2012), then Director at Max Planck Institute (since 2011).

His research interests span neuroscience, connectomics, optogenetics, molecular genetics, and behavioral biology, with a focus on mapping brain connectivity, developing technologies for circuit interrogation, and linking genes to neural circuits to behavior. His recent publications highlight work in transcriptomic neuron classification, physiological history recording via chemical labeling, retinal evolution, and visuomotor transformations. Students include Johannes Kappel and graduated researchers like Thomas Helmbrecht and Ksenia Yashina. He employs advanced imaging, molecular, and computational approaches to study sensory perception and motor behavior in aquatic models.

Contact:
Email: herwig.baier@bi.mpg.de
Department: Genes – Circuits – Behavior