Peter H. Seeberger

Peter H. Seeberger is Director at the Max-Planck Institute for Colloids and Surfaces in Potsdam, Professor at the Freie Universität Berlin, and honorary Professor at Potsdam University. He previously served as Affiliate Professor at the Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research (2003-2014) and Professor at ETH Zurich. Since 2021, he has been Vice President of the German Research Foundation (DFG), and since 2023 has served as Founding Director of the Center for the Transformation of Chemistry with €1.25 billion funding.

His research spans glycosciences, carbohydrate chemistry, vaccine development, and continuous flow synthesis. Seeberger developed the chemical basis for automated glycan assembly, enabling the synthesis of complex polysaccharides up to 100-mers. His work has opened new pathways for synthetic glycoconjugate vaccines against pathogens including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Clostridium difficile, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. He also pioneered continuous photochemical processes for artemisinin production to combat malaria.

Seeberger's recent publications reveal a strong trend toward applying glycobiology to vaccine development, diagnostics, and nanotechnology. His work increasingly focuses on translating basic research into clinical applications, with several vaccine candidates in human trials. The integration of continuous flow chemistry with glycan synthesis represents a major technological advancement in his field.

• ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry (2021)
• Stifterverband Science Prize (2017)
• Körber European Science Award (2007)
• Arthur C. Cope Young Scholar Award (2003)
• Elected to Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (2013)
• Over 40 international awards total

Seeberger's laboratory has produced over 690 peer-reviewed articles, 5 books, and 60+ patent families. His research has spawned multiple spin-off companies including Vaxxilon AG (acquired by Idorsia), Tacalyx, ArtemiFlow, and GlycoUniverse. As editor of the Beilstein Journal for Organic Chemistry since 2009, he promotes open access publishing. His work on the Center for the Transformation of Chemistry represents a major funding initiative to reshape chemical research and industry.

Seeberger leads the Biomolecular Systems department at the Max Planck Institute, which includes research groups focused on automated glycan assembly, glycoconjugate vaccine development, and continuous flow synthesis. His Center for the Transformation of Chemistry represents a major collaborative effort across German research institutions with significant government funding.