Wolfgang Marwan

Prof. Wolfgang Marwan is a Full Professor at the Institute of Biology within the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. His research focuses on the structure and dynamics of molecular networks in pro- and eukaryotes, with particular expertise in reverse engineering regulatory networks, sensory control of sporulation in Physarum polycephalum, and light-controlled swimming behavior in Halobacterium salinarum.

His educational background includes studies in Chemistry and Biology at the University of Erlangen (1979-1984), followed by a Diploma in Biology (1985) and PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry (1985-1989). After postdoctoral work and serving as a Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute, he held positions at the University of Freiburg as a Heisenberg Fellow and at the University of Hertfordshire as a Research Professor of Biocomputation before joining Otto von Guericke University in 2005. In 2007, he co-founded the Magdeburg Centre for Systems Biology.

Prof. Marwan's research interests center on understanding cellular decision-making processes through systems biology approaches. His work integrates experimental and computational methods to investigate how molecular networks control cell differentiation and reprogramming. He has made significant contributions to the field of Petri net modeling of biological systems, developing frameworks for biomodel engineering and network reconstruction. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on cellular differentiation mechanisms, particularly in Physarum polycephalum, where his team has pioneered methods for single-cell time series analysis to empirically validate the Waddington landscape concept.

His scientific contributions include the development of methods for automatic network reconstruction from time-series data and the application of Petri nets to model complex biological processes. His interdisciplinary approach bridges experimental biology with computational modeling to provide quantitative insights into cellular decision-making, with implications for understanding stem cell differentiation and regenerative medicine.

Prof. Marwan has led numerous research projects funded by the DFG and EU programs, including studies on cellular reprogramming, pain regulation mechanisms, and signal transduction networks. His laboratory investigates how cells make differentiation decisions, with particular focus on the molecular switches that control commitment points in developmental pathways.