Perfil

Lhotar Willmitzer is a German plant physiologist and molecular biologist who is a pioneer in the field of metabolomics. He earned a degree in Chemistry from the Technical University of Braunschweig, completing a PhD in Molecular Biology in 1977, followed by a habilitation in Genetics at the University of Cologne in 1983.

Following a professorship in Molecular Biology at Freie Universität Berlin, he became the founding director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm in 1994. There, he led the Department of Molecular Physiology until his retirement in 2022. His previous positions include the Society of Biotechnological Research in Braunschweig (Department of Molecular Biology, 1977–1979); the Max Planck Institute of Research on Breeding in Cologne (1979–1984); Leader of an Independent Research Group at the Genetic Research Centre of the Max Planck Institute of Research on Breeding in Cologne (1985–1986); Professor of Molecular Biology at Freie Universität Berlin; and Scientific Director of the Institute of Genetic and Biological Research Ltd. (1986–1994).

Alongside his academic work, he co-founded several biotechnology companies, including Metanomics (later acquired by BASF), metySysX and Targenomix. These companies focus on applying metabolomic approaches to crop improvement and agricultural innovation.

He has received numerous honours, including the Otto Hahn Medal (1981), the Max Planck Research Award (1994), and the Karl Heinz Beckurts Prize (1999). He has been a member of the Academia Europaea (since 1994), the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) (since 1993), the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (since 1999), the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.