Ivan Đikić

Ivan Đikić is a Professor and Director of the Institute of Biochemistry II at Goethe University Frankfurt. Appointed as a Max Planck Fellow in October 2018, he collaborates with the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics to advance research in cellular quality control mechanisms. He is also a founding member of the Frankfurt Cancer Institute, which has secured significant funding for a LOEWE center and new research facilities.

Đikić's research centers on two major cellular quality control pathways: the ubiquitin system and autophagy. His group recently discovered a novel ubiquitination mechanism induced by bacterial enzymes during human cell infection and is investigating ER-phagy, a selective form of autophagy involved in endoplasmic reticulum remodeling. These pathways are critical for protection against diseases and cellular signaling.

Professor Đikić has received numerous prestigious awards:

• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2013
• Two ERC Advanced Grants
• Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine
• German Cancer Prize
• Order of Duke Branimir from the President of Croatia

Đikić is deeply committed to educating the next generation of scientists and public science communication. His group at Goethe University and the Max Planck Institute provides a platform for training researchers in molecular signaling and cellular quality control. He has secured significant funding, including ERC Advanced Grants and support for the Frankfurt Cancer Institute.

He leads the Đikić Molecular Signaling Group, which spans both Goethe University Frankfurt and the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics. The group employs a wide range of expertise to study structure-function relationships in cellular pathways.