Heinz Saedler - Curriculum vitae#

Prof. Heinz Saedler has been director since 1980 of the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, where he heads the Department of Molecular Plant Genetics. Since 1981 he has also been honorary professor at the University of Cologne. His work at the MPI focuses on transposons-also known as jumping genes, due to their ability to change position on the chromosome, thus contributing to the genetic variability of organisms-and on molecular analysis of floral architecture. His work has contributed to the establishment of a new subject area concerned with the molecular mechanisms of evolution of morphological novelties, and on biodiversity. His scientific achievements have been recognized with the award of the Otto Bayer Prize in 1985 and the Wilhelm Exner Medal in 2000.