Ulrich Wobus

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Ulrich Wobus (born March 5, 1942 in Niesky ) is a German geneticist , molecular and cell biologist , who most recently headed the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben . Wobus carried out basic research on plant physiology and genetics and made outstanding contributions to the application of knowledge in biotechnology and plant breeding .

Life

Wobus studied biology at the University of Greifswald and at the Humboldt University in Berlin and wrote his thesis on behavioral biology in insects . He then became a scientific assistant at the Institute for Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben . He received his doctorate in 1969 from the Humboldt University and in 1982 obtained the " Doctorate B " corresponding to the habilitation . After his appointment as professor by the Academy of Sciences of the GDR in 1986, he became head of the "Gene Effects" department at the Central Institute for Genetics and Cultivated Plant Research, which emerged from the Institute for Cultivated Plant Research.

During the political change in the GDR in 1989, Wobus became the first speaker of the freely elected "Scientific Council" at the Gatersleben Central Institute. In this role, he helped to change the management of the institute and to reorganize the institute. When the institute was re-established in 1992 under the name Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) as a Blue List facility , he took over the management of the Working Group on Gene Effects and the Molecular Genetics Department as well as the role of Managing Director. In 1994 he also received a professorship for genetics at the Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg .

Until 2007, Wobus was managing director of the IPK, which since 2006 has been called the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research . Until 2008 he headed the department for molecular genetics there .

Ulrich Wobus is married to the biologist Anna M. Wobus .

Act

Up until the 1980s, Wobus was primarily concerned with the genome and gene structure as well as the regulation of gene expression in animal systems, primarily the polytane chromosomes of mosquitoes . He is considered a pioneer of molecular biology and genetic engineering in the GDR . Since the beginning of the 1980s, he has dealt with molecular genetic and developmental physiological issues in cultivated plants . Questions of gene expression and storage protein metabolism during the development of the seeds of legumes and cereals became points of contact for breeding-oriented work. His contributions to the role of sugars as signaling molecules in seed development are considered important . Wobus has published over 200 scientific papers, including seven book publications and numerous patents.

The IPK has been decisively shaped by Wobus, especially since it was founded in 1992. He carried out the further development of the local culture database , the expansion of genome research on cereals within the framework of the Plant Genome Resource Center (PGRC) designed by him in 1996 and the establishment of a bioinformatics focus. In addition, he was able to promote the networking of basic research with applied biotechnology and plant breeding . Several biotechnology companies were spun off on the IPK site.

Wobus and his wife organized the “Gatersleben Encounters” as a meeting of natural scientists and humanities scholars with artists, politicians and other public figures, where the social significance of current developments in the life sciences was discussed.

Awards (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Former directors and group leaders of the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (ipk-gatersleben.de); Retrieved September 8, 2012
  2. ↑ a b c Member entry by Ulrich Wobus at the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina , accessed on September 8, 2012.
  3. ^ AWK: Corresponding members. In: awk.nrw.de. Retrieved February 19, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Honorary Members. In: gpz-online.de. Retrieved February 19, 2016 .
  5. ^ Cothenius Medal at the Leopoldina (leopoldina.org); Retrieved September 8, 2012
  6. ↑ Ulrich Wobus at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (bbaw.de); Retrieved February 19, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Wobus, Ulrich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German geneticist, molecular and cell biologist
DATE OF BIRTH March 5, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Niesky