Nikolaus Pfanner

Nikolaus Pfanner (*1956 Simmerberg im Allgäu) received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize for his work in the area of Molecular Cell Biology.

In the official statement justifying the selection of Professor Pfanner for the award, the DFG lauds his great contributions to improving our understanding of how proteins are imported into the compartments of cells of higher-level organisms: “Professor Pfanner discovered a large number of the components required for the protein transport mechanism in mitochondria, so-called ‘cellular power stations,’ explained their function, and developed comprehensive ideas on the mechanisms of protein transport. His results are to be found in cell biology textbooks.”