Moritz Helmstaedter Elected to the EMBO Membership
Moritz Helmstaedter, Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research was elected new EMBO Member in recognition of his seminal contributions to the field of Connectomics
Helmstaedter is among seventy-one outstanding scientists who have been elected to the EMBO Membership in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the life sciences. The newly elected Members and Associate Members join a distinguished international community of researchers dedicated to advancing excellence in the life sciences. They will be formally welcomed at the EMBO Members' Meeting, which will take place in Heidelberg, Germany, from 30 September to 2 October 2026.
“It is a pleasure to welcome the new EMBO Members and Associate Members. Their election celebrates their achievements and creativity. By contributing their unique perspectives and experiences, they will greatly strengthen the network of leading life scientists who are shaping the field,” says EMBO Director Fiona Watt.
Connectomics of the mammalian brain
The Helmstaedter Lab uses 3D electron microscopy and AI-based image analysis to map the mammalian cerebral cortex, the most complex network known. His Department of Connectomics studies how cortical circuits evolve across species, from mouse to human, and develop connectomic screening for experience- and disease-related circuit changes. Helmstaedter and his team aim to reveal the circuit architecture behind cognition (prediction, long-term memory) and identify its pathological alterations as connectopathies.
About Moritz Helmstaedter
Moritz Helmstaedter studied medicine and physics at Heidelberg University (Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg), earning a medical degree and a diploma in physics. Following a brief period as a strategy consultant with McKinsey, Helmstaedter completed a doctoral thesis with Bert Sakmann and postdoctoral research with Winfried Denk at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. From 2011 to 2014, Helmstaedter led a research group at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Munich before joining the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt in 2014 as a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society and Director. Currently, he is the Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt.
In recognition of his scientific achievements, Helmstaedter received the Otto Hahn Medal in 2009, delivered the Bernard Katz Lecture in 2013, and was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in 2024. Since 2016, Helmstaedter has also held the Chair (extraordinary professor) of Neuronal Networks at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Additional appointments include membership of the Foundation Board of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (2020–2026) and the Life Sciences Committee of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (since 2023).
About EMBO and EMBO Membership
EMBO is an organization of more than 2,200 leading researchers that promotes excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. The major goals of the organization are to support talented researchers at all stages of their careers, stimulate the exchange of scientific information, and help build a research environment where scientists can achieve their best work.
EMBO Members are a community of more than 2,200 EMBO Members and Associate Members. Election as a member recognizes research excellence and outstanding achievements, and membership is a lifelong honour. EMBO Members guide the execution of all EMBO Programms and activities by serving on EMBO Council, Committees and Advisory Editorial Boards, and review applications for funding. EMBO Associate Members, who reside outside Europe, add a global perspective to the current activities and future directions of the organization. By participating in the work of EMBO, the members collectively influence the direction of science and strengthen research communities in Europe and beyond. An annual election process ensures that the EMBO Membership represents a broad range of research fields and adapts to emerging trends.
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