The MPI for Informatics and MPI for Software Systems become partners of the Max Planck School of Biomedical Artificial Intelligence
Prof. Dr. Bernt Schiele (left), head of the new research area "Vision and Language Models" and new Co-Director at the Saarbrücken Research Center for Visual Computing, Interaction and Artificial Intelligence (VIA) with Prof. Dr. Christian Theobalt (right), founding director of the VIA Center. Photo: Manuela Meyer
The new graduate school will develop advanced AI methods for basic life sciences research.
The school will focus on deepening understanding of biological systems by combining modern biomedical technologies with innovative approaches to artificial intelligence. The aim is to train a new generation of scientists who will develop algorithms that can learn, explain, and predict the principles of living systems and use these findings for molecular design.
The fellows of the school are internationally recognized researchers from 24 institutions – including 14 Max Planck Institutes – and come from a wide variety of fields, ranging from image and speech processing to immunology.
The fellows from the Max Planck Institute for Informatics are the directors Bernt Schiele (Computer Vision and Machine Learning department) and Christian Theobalt (Visual Computing and Artificial Intelligence department). From the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, Director Krishna Gummadi, head of the Networked Systems research group, is a fellow of the newly founded graduate school.The researchers will contribute their expertise and provide supervision in areas such as human models, exploring biological and artificial neural network representations, and AI-based image processing for medical applications.
Spokesperson of the new school is Karsten Borgwardt, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, where the administration of the school will also be located. The new School will be financed under the funding agreement between the Max Planck Society and the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, as well as through contributions from the participating institutions.
The plan is to accept the first applications for doctoral positions at the school starting in fall 2026, with the first BMAI cohort beginning their doctoral studies in fall 2027.
List of participating institutions
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (Berlin)
- Technical University of Berlin (Berlin)
- Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (Bochum)
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing (Cologne)
- Technical University of Darmstadt
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Dresden)
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research (Frankfurt)
- Leibniz Institute for Virology (Hamburg)
- German Cancer Research Centre (Heidelberg)
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences (Göttingen)
- Max Planck Institute for Software Systems (Kaiserslautern and Saarbrücken)
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Leipzig)
- University of Leipzig
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems (Magdeburg)
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (Mainz)
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (Martinsried)
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (Munich)
- Technical University of Munich
- Helmholtz Centre Munich (Neuherberg/Munich)
- Max Planck Institute for Informatics (Saarbrücken)
- Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics (Tübingen)
About the Max Planck Schools
Since 2019, the Max Planck Schools are offering a visionary graduate program to exceptional PhD candidates. The faculties of each School unite the best scholars in their field to teach and work with highly motivated doctoral candidates, all embedded in a unique network spanning across universities and non-university research organizations. The Max Planck Schools are looking for highly talented applicants with Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees from all over the world, aiming to further develop their research skills and network in one of the most innovative graduate programs in Germany.
Further information:
Announcement by the Max Planck Society:
https://www.mpg.de/26250857/max-planck-school-of-biomedical-artificial-intelligence
Announcement by the Max Planck Schools:
https://www.maxplanckschools.org/en/news-events/launch-of-the-max-planck-school-of-biomedical-artificial-intelligence