Peter Becker

Professor Peter Becker is a Full Professor and Head of the Molecular Biology Section at the Adolf-Butenandt-Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich). He serves as the Chair of Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1064 and leads Project A01 on 'Domino nucleosome remodeling complexes and histone H2A.V dynamics in transcription and DNA repair.'

His academic journey began with a Biology degree from Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (1978-1983), followed by a Diploma in Biology (1984) and a Promotion 'summa cum laude' (1987). After postdoctoral fellowships at the NIH and DKFZ, he became a Group Leader at EMBL Heidelberg (1991-1999) before joining LMU Munich as a Full Professor in 1999. Since 2015, he has served as Acting Chair of the Biomedical Center Munich.

Professor Becker's research focuses on chromatin dynamics, particularly the mechanisms of nucleosome remodeling complexes and histone variant dynamics. His work specifically examines how DOMINO ATPase isoforms function in SWR1-type complexes to exchange histone variants like H2A.V, and how these processes are involved in transcription regulation and DNA repair. His lab uses Drosophila as a model system to study these fundamental chromatin regulatory mechanisms. Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on understanding nucleosome array arrangements, chromatin fiber folding, and the genome-wide rules of nucleosome phasing, combining biochemical, genetic, and genomic approaches.

• Gottfried-Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (2005)
• ERC Advanced Grant (2011)
• DFG Reinhardt-Koselleck Grant (2016)
• EMBO Membership (2000)
• Academia Europaea Membership (2007)
• German Academy of Science Leopoldina Membership (2007)

Professor Becker actively mentors students through his involvement in multiple graduate programs including the International Max Planck Research School 'From Biology to Medicine' and the Graduate School 'Quantitative Biosciences, Munich'. His lab benefits from substantial funding through CRC 1064, ERC, and DFG grants, providing excellent resources for cutting-edge research in chromatin biology. He leads the 'Chromatin Dynamics and Nuclear Function' research group, which investigates fundamental mechanisms of chromatin regulation with implications for understanding gene expression, genome stability, and epigenetic inheritance.