Ana García-Sáez Awarded Prestigious ERC Grant

The grant will support groundbreaking research on the dynamic architecture of mitochondrial membranes

We are thrilled to share that Ana García-Sáez, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant. This is one of the most competitive and highly respected funding awards in Europe. The grant will support her project focused on the dynamics and molecular organization of mitochondrial membranes.

Text: Pamela Ornelas

Ana García-Sáez and her team use advanced microscopy tools, including super-resolution microscopy and single molecule imaging, to study self-regulated cell death, with a special focus on mitochondria. Her work has received recognition due to her multidisciplinary approach combining biophysics, biochemistry and cell biology with software development to uncover how molecular players and mechanical properties of membranes shape mitochondrial behavior during apoptosis and other forms of programmed cell death. The ERC Advanced Grant will allow her group to push the limits of current imaging methods and deepen our understanding of this essential biological process.

A Scientific Journey that Spans Europe

Originally from Spain, Ana García-Sáez began her academic career at the University of Valencia before completing postdoctoral work at TU Dresden. She later led a research group with a double appointment at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the German Cancer Research Center, followed by professorships at the University of Tübingen and University of Cologne.

Since 2023, she has been leading the Department of Membrane Dynamics at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, where she continues innovating with methods that open new avenues in mitochondrial research and membrane biophysics.

The ERC Grants for Cutting-Edge Research

The ERC was launched by the European Union in 2007 to promote frontier research across scientific fields by the most creative minds across Europe. These grants recognize and fund exceptional scientists that are leading in their field, and whose work has made a significant impact.

This marks Ana García-Sáez’s third ERC grant. Over the years, her outstanding research has been funded by some of the most prestigious scientific programs, including the ERC Starting Grant for promising early-career researchers and the ERC Consolidator Grant for those establishing independent groups. Now, she joins 281 leading scientists across Europe in receiving the 2024 ERC Advanced Grant, selected from of over 2,500 proposals , securing a place among Europe’s most innovative researchers.

Further Reading:

• Visit the website of the Department of Membrane Dynamics.

• Read the press release of the ERC.

• Visit the ERC website.