Happy New Year from the GMI! We look forward to another exciting and successful year filled with scientific innovation, collaboration, and discovery. Wishing you a happy and healthy start to 2026!

This holiday season, the GMI reflects on a successful 2025 with a look back on key milestones and achievements. In 2025, researchers at the GMI were recognized for their scientific excellence and outstanding achievements:

This holiday season, the GMI reflects on a successful 2025 with a look back on key milestones and achievements. This year, we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the GMI with a series of special events:

Season's Greetings from the GMI! As 2025 comes to an end, we wish you a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season. We highlight the winning design from this year’s holiday card competition by Zeynep Begüm Sen, PhD student in the Ma lab.

Congratulations to Dr. Jian Yi Kok, researcher from the Berger lab at the GMI of the @oeaw.bsky.social! He successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled “Mechanisms and Evolution of Chromatin Mediated Control of Transcription”.

🎉Congratulations to Dr. Vikas Shukla, researcher from the Berger lab at the GMI of the @oeaw.bsky.social! He successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled “The Interplay Between Chromatin States and Transcription Factors Fine-Tune Gene Expression in Land Plants”.

Group leader Frédéric Berger, at the GMI of the @oeaw.bsky.social, joins special research area (SFB) “Meiosis” in the second funding round from the @fwf-at.bsky.social! The consortium consists of 9 research groups from the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social, @istaresearch.bsky.social, @jku.at & @embl.org.

In a recent interview with the @oeaw.bsky.social, Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid of the GMI discusses the advantages, opportunities, and risks presented by new genomic technologies (NGTs) and the recent loosening of regulations in the EU. Read more ⤵️

The @viennabiocenter.bsky.social hosted a visit from the Business Agency of Vienna as part of @interreg.eu Austria-Czechia project, JOBITY. The learned about the Vienna BioCenter and the GMI, & toured the Core Facilities, heartbeat bio, Quantro Therapeutics & a:head with @lisavienna.bsky.social.

The @embo.org Workshop at the GMI and the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social has come to a close! From November 25th-27th, researchers attended inspiring talks and engaged in discussions on the topic of plant evolution. #EMBOplantEvo

New paper! @plantophagy.bsky.social and his team, including @victorsmh6.bsky.social and @marintianava.bsky.social at the GMI of the @oeaw.bsky.social, discovered an important player in plant adaptation to stress: selective autophagy receptor, CESAR. Read more: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

This year’s @embo.org Workshop is held at the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social. Open to 120 participants, it is over-enrolled with 180 attendees! Thank you to the organizers @isabelmonte.bsky.social, Aino Komatsu, @moodytomato.bsky.social, and Liam Dolan for making this event possible. #EMBOplantEvo

Congratulations to Magnus Nordborg of the GMI and @oeaw.bsky.social who, together with Leandro Quadrana and @pierrebaduel.bsky.social, has received an @fwf-at.bsky.social Grant for the project “Genetic and epigenetic determinants of transposon dynamics”. More here: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

The Protein Technology Hub of the @imbavienna.bsky.social, GMI & @impvienna.bsky.social at @viennabiocenter.bsky.social developed a new cross-linking mass spectrometry workflow, revealing protein interactions that were previously undetectable. More: www.viennabiocenter.org/about/news/b...

🎉Congratulations to @victorsmh6.bsky.social at the GMI of the @oeaw.bsky.social who received the @viennabiocenter.bsky.social PhD Award for his thesis “Leveraging evolutionary diversity to discover new autophagy mechanisms in plants”. More about Victor here: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

CeMM & ÖAW warmly welcome Maria Rescigno as the new CeMM Director. Maria is a highly accomplished researcher specialized in the understanding of the gut–liver–brain axis. Press info: https://cemm.at/news Photo Gallery: https://cemm.at/about-cemm/picture-galleries/2025 #CeMMLife #Director #ÖAW

New paper! Work led by @p-bourguet.bsky.social and Frédéric Berger at the GMI of the @oeaw.bsky.social and @esasaki007.bsky.social identified how protein CDCA7 helps plants stably maintain epigenetic modifications across generations. Read more: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

Magnus Nordborg of the GMI from the @oeaw.bsky.social has received a Synergy Grant from the @erc.europa.eu. With Richard Durbin and @felipekteixeira.bsky.social, they will investigate how transposable elements shape genome evolution in eukaryotes. Read more: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/news-eve...

New publication by Juan Carlos De la Concepcion, Nick Irwin, & @plantophagy.bsky.social at the GMI from @oeaw.bsky.social revealed that Exo70 undergoes changes in electrostatic charge, causing it to break from its original complex & take on new functions. Read more: www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/n...

Always fun to spend time at the Gregor Mendel Institute in Vienna. I think he’d like the science here

This week, the GMI welcomed students from HTL Kramsach Glas und Chemie to explore the topic of green gene editing with Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid, visit the growth chambers, and test their knowledge of genetics. Thank you to Daniela Erlebach and all attendees for their active participation!

The Vienna BioCenter recently welcomed 30 exceptional Ukrainian high school students from the Simons Science School in Chemistry and Physics to gain hands-on experience and research insights from scientists at the GMI, IMBA, IMP, and Max Perutz Labs. Thank you to all scientists and organizers!

In 2022, the GMI celebrated Gregor Mendel’s 200th birthday and the inaugural “Mendel Early Career Symposium,” which has since become a highly anticipated annual event bringing together young plant researchers for presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities.

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic shut down activities at the GMI for several weeks. However, the unique virus testing pipeline developed by the VBC facilities allowed our scientists to resume their work much faster than elsewhere, and served as a template for infection surveillance in Vienna.

In 2019, the GMI was featured in “Planet der Pflanzen”, part of the “Akademics” science communication comic series by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). The comics were designed to make research accessible and fun for young readers.

In 2016, as a special activity along the Long Night of Research, the GMI launched “gmi4kids” and “Botanic Quest”—two special initiatives aimed at inspiring curiosity about plants and raising public awareness of their importanc. Both initiatives continue to exist today!

In 2015, the GMI became a full partner of the Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities (VBCF). This campus-wide collaboration with IMBA and the IMP granted GMI researchers full access to the facilities and services provided on campus, opening new opportunities for all research groups at the GMI.

In 2013, the GMI participated for the first time in “Fascination of Plants Day”, an annual international initiative aiming to raise public awareness of plants’ vital role for our planet. To this day, the GMI remains committed to Fascination of Plants Day.

In 2012, the GMI co-organized the 23rd International Conference on Arabidopsis Research (ICAR) at Vienna’s Imperial Palace. In addition, GMI Group Leader Thomas Greb organized a satellite workshop focused on plant vascular development. Both events were a huge success and played a significant role

Elwira Smakowska-Luzan, former postdoc in Youssef Belkhadir’s lab at the GMI, was one of the invited speakers at the GMI’s 25th Anniversary Scientific Symposium. In this interview, she reflects on her time at the GMI and its impact on her career. https://thegmi.science/dnb

👨🏻🎓 At the recent ÖAW Kinderuni Day, the GMI invited young explorers to get hands-on with the science of seed dispersal in a lively workshop at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. A big thank you to to Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid, Sina Metzler, and Barbara Weigel for delivering the workshop!

New paper alert! Vicky Spencer and colleagues in Liam Dolan’s lab show that the gene MpCYP78E1 regulates the activity of meristems - specialized regions containing stem cells that produce new branches - in Marchantia polymorpha to establish the plant’s body architecture: https://thegmi.science/htn

In 2011, the GMI celebrated its 10th anniversary —albeit with a one-year delay—by hosting a scientific minisymposium that brought together scientists, representatives of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and policymakers to explore the GMI’s mission and ongoing research in molecular plant biology.

In 2011, the GMI held its first Annual Retreat — a tradition that continues to this day! The GMI Retreat is a valuable opportunity for scientists and administrative staff to connect, exchange ideas, and strengthen our community beyond the lab.

Congratulations to Hing Pan Ng, PhD student in Yan Ma’s lab, who received a DOC Fellowship from the Austrian Academy of Sciences! Ng will investigate the molecular mechanisms that gall-inducing insects use to remodel plant cell walls during gall development. More: https://thegmi.science/3b9d1b

In 2010, the GMI’s plant growth chambers were upgraded. The project, led by Borries Luberacki, equipped the new growth chambers with state-of-the-art technology for precise simulation of different climate conditions, enabling GMI scientists to make significant advances in their research.

“What really sets the GMI apart is the environment. It’s a state-of-the-art plant research institute, but it’s embedded in a much broader scientific campus.” Karel Říha, former group leader at the GMI, reflects on the institute’s first years and promising future: https://thegmi.science/3vp

Congratulations to Silvia Ramundo, Group Leader at the GMI, who has been awarded an ASTRA Award from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) in recognition of her research on chloroplast biology! Read more: https://thegmi.science/049300

We are #hiring! Join the GMI as a Communications Officer and help shape a compelling, consistent presentation of the GMI—online and in print—ensuring our message resonates with diverse audiences. More below!

“The cross-disciplinary interaction really broadened my perspective and encouraged me to combine different ideas in my own research.” - Aleš Pečinka, former postdoc in Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid’s lab at the GMI, reflects on his time at the GMI and what it means to return: https://thegmi.science/apj

Presenting the GMI Research Report for 2024! Meet new group leaders Nick Irwin and Yan Ma, explore recent research findings, and explore GMI model organisms - revealed in vivid detail. Download your copy. 👇

Congratulations to Marintia Nava on the completion of her PhD! Marintia, a researcher in the Dagdas Lab, presented her dissertation titled “Characterization of a novel selective autophagy pathway for protein quality control in Arabidopsis thaliana” during her PhD defense.

A commemorative film capturing the highlights of the GMI 25th Anniversary Lecture with Prof. Jennifer Doudna at the Austrian Academy of Sciences is now available. Please join us in revisiting a charming moment in GMI’s history! 🌱 Watch our recap: youtu.be/Nh8sJqQpySU

Highlights from 25 years of GMI research: In 2010, Antonius and Marjori Matzke’s team at the GMI identified DRD2 and DRD3, two proteins that cooperate with DRD1 during RNA-mediated DNA methylation. More about our 25th-anniversary celebrations here: bit.ly/4139yjT

The GMI welcomes speakers of the Plants in a Changing World session at the GMI’s 25th Anniversary Symposium on May 23.

The GMI welcomes speakers of the Plants in Defense Mode session at the GMI’s 25th Anniversary Symposium on May 23.

Final Call for Applications: Senior Group Leader and Junior Group Leader at the GMI! Applications close May 20, 2025. Apply now:

In 2009, Magnus Nordborg and Markus Kiess joined the GMI as Scientific Director and Business Director, respectively. Their leadership over the last 16 years has been essential to bring the GMI to the forefront of molecular plant biology.

A SECOND SET of limited-edition anniversary wallpapers just landed! Designed by artist Iza Kaminsky, GMI’s research, model organisms and familiar Vienna landmarks are decorated within squares drawn from the GMI Punnett square logo.

The GMI welcomes speakers of the Differentiation and Development session at the GMI’s 25th Anniversary Symposium on May 23.