Kerstin Göpfrich
Max Planck Research Group Leader (W2)

Contact
Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
Jahnstr. 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Room 161A
Tel.: +49 6221 486-443
E-Mail: kerstin.goepfrich(at)mr.mpg.de
About me
I have always been curious about fundamental questions in science and long fascinated by the idea to engineer a cell from scratch. Since 2019, I am leading the Max Planck Reseach Group Biophysical Engineering. Previously, as a Skłodowska-Curie Fellow in Stuttgart, I worked on bottom-up synthetic biology and microfluidics with Joachim Spatz. In April 2017, I completed my PhD in physics as a Gates Cambridge Fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK, where I built DNA origami nanopores in the group of Ulrich Keyser.
If I don’t do science, I like talking about it with students and the wider public, via webvideoconferencing on Ring-a-Scientist, twitter, youtube or media outlets like The Naked Scientists (BBC – Radio 5 live) or Spektrum der Wissenschaft. For past and present projects, see here, or just get in touch!
Short Bio
since 2019 | Independent Max Planck Research Group Leader (W2) Member of the Excellence Cluster 3D Matter Made to Order Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany |
2017 – 2019 | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany |
2013 – 2017 | Ph.D. in Physics Gates Cambridge Fellow, Winton Fellow Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom |
2012 – 2013 | M.Phil. in Physics Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom |
2009 – 2012 | B.Sc. in Physics and Molecular Medicine University of Erlangen, Germany |