Organization & Structure

The institute has a staff of around 500 people, including approximately 150 scientists. 

There are four departments, each with its own research groups and their own specific focus. Each department is headed by a director who is autonomous in his research activity. All directors are scientific members of the Max Planck Society and decide jointly on all matters concerning the institute.

Every two years they rotate in assuming the role of Managing Director.

Management

Advisory Board

Evaluation and Advisement
To ensure the high quality of their work in the long term, Max Planck institutes regularly undergo reviews by an expert panel. For this purpose, each institute has an advisory board. This international body consists of 13 scientists from various renowned institutions. Every three years it carries out an evaluation of the research achievements of the institute. The results are an important basis for the planning of the distribution of resources by the Max Planck Society.

Members

Prof. Dr. Naama Barkai
Departments of Molecular Genetics and Physics of Complex Systems,
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Jürgen Kurths
Forschungsbereich Transdisziplinäre Konzepte und Methoden, Potsdam Institut für Klimafolgenforschung, Germany

Prof. Dr. Jan Löwe
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK

Prof. Dr. Adele Marston

Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Prof. Dr. Tobias Meyer
Weill Cornell Medicine, USA

Prof. Dr. Andrew Murray

Harvard University, USA

Prof. Dr. Eva Nogales

Molecular and Cell Biology Department, University of California, Berkeley, USA

Prof. Dr. Antonina Roll-Mecak

Porter Neuroscience Research Center, Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, NINDS, USA

Prof. Dr. Karla Fullner Satchell

Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, USA

Prof. Dr. Ben Shen
The Natural Products Discovery Center, The Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Florida, USA

Prof. Dr. Titia Sixma

Division of Biochemistry, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Prof. Dr. Mikiko Sodeoka
RIKEN, Japan

Prof. Dr. Dan Yang
Westlake University, China

Board of Trustees

Expert View from Outside
The Board of Trustees is an institution which supports the regular exchange of ideas in the Max Planck Society. The main task of this body is to advise the respective institute in matters of science policy as well as economic and organizational issues and to promote contact to the city, the region, and other parts of society.

Members

Guido Baranowski
TechnoConsult, Dortmund

Prof. Dr. Manfred Bayer
Rektor, Technische Universität Dortmund

Dr. Gisa Ellrichmann
Direktorin, Neurologische Klinik, Klinikum Dortmund gGmbH

Prof. Dr. Jan G. Hengstler
Wissenschaftlicher Direktor, Leibniz-Institut für Arbeitsforschung an der Technische Universität Dortmund

Oliver Kaczmarek
Mitglied des Deutschen Bundestages, Berlin

Prof. Dr. Andrea Kienle
Leiterin der Abteilung 3 Forschung, Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes NRW

Heike Marzen (Vice Chairperson)
Geschäftsführerin, Wirtschaftsförderung Dortmund

Prof. Dr. Helge Möllmann
Chefarzt, Klinik für Innere Medizin, St. Johannes Hospital Dortmund

Sabine Poschmann
Mitglied des Deutschen Bundestages, Berlin

Dr. Bernhard Schaaf
Direktor, Klinik für Pneumologie, Infektiologie und internistische Intensivmedizin, Klinikum Dortmund

Stefan Schreiber
Hauptgeschäftsführer, Industrie- und Handelskammer zu Dortmund

Dirk Stürmer (Chairman)
Geschäftsführer, TechnologieZentrumDortmund GmbH

Thomas Westphal
Oberbürgermeister, Stadt Dortmund