Professor Ana Pombo from the Max Delbrück Center has been awarded the 2025 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Accompanied by a €2.5 million grant, this is one of Germany’s most esteemed research awards.
Pombo’s work investigates how cells compact DNA into the nucleus and how genome folding influences gene regulation. Her research aims to understand how environmental factors impact gene activity and identify ways to reverse harmful cellular changes. In 2017, her group at the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology (MDC-BIMSB) published a method in Nature to map 3D genome architecture, providing insights into gene regulation and disease mechanisms.
Celebrating Scientific Excellence
The DFG recognized Pombo’s pioneering contributions alongside nine other awardees. The ceremony will take place on March 19, 2025.
Professor Maike Sander, Scientific Director of the Max Delbrück Center, praised Pombo’s achievements: “Her groundbreaking work advances our understanding of genome regulation and paves the way for early intervention in diseases. Congratulations to Ana Pombo!”
About Ana Pombo
Born in Portugal in 1969, Pombo studied biochemistry at the University of Lisbon and earned her doctorate at Oxford. She held positions at Imperial College London before joining the Max Delbrück Center in 2013, where she also teaches at Humboldt University in Berlin. She is the Deputy Director of MDC-BIMSB and Deputy Program Spokesperson for the Max Delbrück Center.
Her honors include the 2007 Robert Feulgen Prize, and she is a member of EMBO and the European Academy of Sciences.
A Tradition of Excellence
Pombo follows previous Max Delbrück Center winners Nikolaus Rajewsky and Carmen Birchmeier. Since 1985, the Leibniz Prize has recognized exceptional researchers, enabling groundbreaking studies and support for young scientists. The 2025 awards will mark the prize’s 40th anniversary with a celebratory event in Berlin.
We proudly have Ana Pombo as an MDC representative at the NIMSB Board of Directors.
Congratulations to Professor Ana Pombo on this remarkable achievement!