Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series (DSSS)

The Distinguished Speaker Seminar Series is a joint colloquium of the Max Planck Institute for Biology and the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory. External (inter)national guest speakers alternate with our own scientists presenting a range of exciting research that reflects the diversity of our institutes. Each seminar is followed by opportunities to discuss research findings further with the speakers in an informal small group or 1-1 setting.

Time: Friday at 3:00 pm (according to announcement)
Place: In the seminar room of the MPI IS building, the MPI-Bio seminar room or online.
Organizers: Cátia Igreja, Michael Borg

DSSS - Cross-regulation of adaptive immune responses and the microbiota via molecular mimicry

Date: Mar 14, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Dr. Andrey Kruglov
Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin
Location: MPI for Biology, Max-Planck-Ring 5
Topic: Discussion and debate formats, lectures

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DSSS - The Resistance Awakens: Natural Diversity Informs Engineering of Plant Immune Receptors

Date: Mar 21, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Dr. Ksenia Krasileva
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme

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DSSS - Transposable elements: from parasites to symbionts

Date: Mar 28, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Cedric Feschotte
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme
Topic: Discussion and debate formats, lectures

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DSSS - The yeast toxicome and its potential for the control of fungal pathogens and spoilers

Date: Apr 4, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Ass. Prof. Sonja Billerbeck
Groningen Biomolecular Sciences & Biotechnology Institute (GBB), University of Groningen
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme
Topic: Discussion and debate formats, lectures

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DSSS - The importance of being sweet: how the extracellular capsule impacts horizontal gene transfer

Date: Apr 11, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Dr. Olaya Rendueles
Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI) de Toulouse Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), Toulouse
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme
Topic: Discussion and debate formats, lectures

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DSSS - Elisa Izaurralde Memorial Lecture

Date: Apr 30, 2025
Time: 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Prof. David Bartel
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme
Topic: Discussion and debate formats, lectures

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DSSS - tbd

Date: May 9, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Prof. Jan E. Kammenga
Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Netherlands
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme

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DSSS - Epigenetic inheritance of chromatin states in C. elegans

Date: May 16, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Ass. Professor Florian Steiner
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Geneva
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme
Topic: Discussion and debate formats, lectures

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DSSS - Competition and warfare in bacteria and the human microbiome

Date: May 23, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Prof. Kevin Foster
Department of Biology and Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme
Topic: Discussion and debate formats, lectures

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DSSS - FGF21 and Alcohol: A Sobering Liaison

Date: Jun 6, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Prof. David J. Mangelsdorf
Professor and Chair, Department of Pharmacology Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Alfred G. Gilman Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology Raymond and Ellen Willie Distinguished Chair in Molecular Neuropharmacology University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme

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DSSS - tbd

Date: Jul 4, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Andreas Plückthun
Dept. of Biochemistry University of Zurich
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme

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DSSS - tbd

Date: Jul 11, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Assis. Prof. Michael O’Donnell
Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme

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DSSS - tbd

Date: Jul 18, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Dr. Edwige Moyroud
Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge, University of Cambridge, UK
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme

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DSSS - tbd

Date: Jul 25, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Pulin Li
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Department of Biology, MIT
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme

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DSSS - tbd

Date: Sep 26, 2025
Time: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Speaker: Prof. Franjo Weissing
Prof. Dr. Emeritus professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen
Location: NO.002, MPI für Intelligente Systeme