Stephanie Panier

Dr. Stephanie Panier serves as a Max Planck Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne, Germany, and as a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease within the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne. Her research program investigates the fundamental mechanisms by which cells maintain genome stability through sophisticated DNA damage response pathways.

Her academic journey includes:

• PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Toronto (2008-2013) under Prof. Daniel Durocher
• Postdoctoral training at the Francis Crick Institute in London (2013-2019) with Prof. Simon Boulton
• Undergraduate studies in Biology at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany (2001-2006)

Dr. Panier's laboratory focuses on two central questions in genome stability research: how DNA damage response pathways interact with telomere maintenance mechanisms, and how RNAs and RNA-binding proteins organize chromatin-based responses to DNA lesions. Her team employs cutting-edge cell biological and omics approaches to identify and characterize RNA-binding proteins at DNA damage sites, mapping their chromatin dynamics and interactions following genotoxic stress. This research has significant implications for understanding aging-associated diseases driven by genomic instability, including cancer and neurodegeneration.

Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent contributions to understanding DNA repair mechanisms, with recent work expanding into cancer biology, telomere maintenance in alternative lengthening pathways, and the emerging role of RNA metabolism in genome stability.

Her scientific achievements have been recognized through:

• Vivash Award for best PhD thesis (2013)
• FEBS Excellence Award (2023)
• EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (2013-2014)
• Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (2010-2013)
• Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds PhD Fellowship (2008-2010)
• EIRR21st Fellowship (2023)

Dr. Panier actively contributes to the scientific community through leadership roles including Vice Coordinator of the DFG Research Unit FOR5504 (2023-2026), membership on the advisory board of the German Society for Research on DNA Repair since 2022, and representation on the Biology and Medicine Section of the Max Planck Society's scientific council since 2022. She also serves as a Principal Investigator in the Cologne Excellence Cluster 'Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases' (CECAD).

Her laboratory comprises postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working collaboratively to advance our understanding of genome stability mechanisms in aging, with current projects focusing on RNA-binding proteins in DNA damage response and telomere maintenance pathways.