Keynote Lectures

Dr. Dorothee Heinrich will guide the physiology audience on a virtual journey of discovery through Hamburg. As a dedicated physician with deep physiological understanding, she combines professional expertise with a remarkable ability to present complex topics in a lively, clear, and well-structured manner. Through her long-standing connection to Hamburg, she knows the city in all its facets and conveys it with infectious enthusiasm, weaving together historical landmarks, modern research, and the city’s dynamic character into an inspiring whole. In doing so, she ensures an informative, captivating, and at the same time highly enjoyable experience for all participants.

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Dr. Anne Petzold, Emmy Noether group leader at the European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen, has been awarded the Du Bois-Reymond Prize of the German Physiological Society for her pioneering work on how internal physiological states shape neural circuits and behavior. The studies which Dr. Petzold performed at the Institute for Systems Physiology at the University of Cologne/University Clinic Cologne, revealed how the brain prioritizes competing needs such as hunger and social interaction - a fundamental question in systems physiology. Using preclinical animal models, Dr. Petzold combines cutting-edge in vivo imaging, circuit manipulation, and behavioral analysis to establish causal links between molecular signals such as leptin and the neural circuits that translate them into behavioral choices. In doing so, she moves the field beyond static models of homeostasis toward a dynamic, state-dependent framework for understanding decision-making under competing physiological demands - a conceptual shift with broad relevance across physiology and neuroscience.

We are delighted to welcome Susan Wray as the laudator for the 2026 Christian Bohr Prize. Throughout her successful scientific career, Susan Wray has fundamentally shaped our understanding of smooth muscle—particularly uterine physiology. Her research combines mechanistic precision with clear clinical relevance and has substantially advanced knowledge of labor, childbirth, and related disorders. She is an internationally recognized mentor who drives scientific networks forward and consistently supports the next generation of researchers. Through her exceptional scientific excellence, her lasting impact on the field, and her dedicated service to the physiological community, she embodies the core values of the Christian Bohr Prize.

Prof. Gero Miesenböck is a visionary neuroscientist who revolutionized circuit neuroscience through the development and application of optogenetics. His research reveals how specific brain networks regulate sleep, wakefulness, and metabolic homeostasis across evolution—from Drosophila to humans. By combining precise manipulations of defined neuronal populations with systems-level behavioral physiology, he provides causal insights into sleep regulation, energy balance, and fatigue mechanisms.

Exercise acutely promotes remarkable physiological changes in the body through the rapid regulation of molecular signals. While enabling movement and training-induced adaptation, these signals also trigger remarkable health benefits.

Understanding these pathways is not only scientifically exciting, but they also provide a blueprint for leveraging exercise as a therapeutic intervention to improve health.

Prof. Orson Moe is a globally recognized renal physiologist whose work expands the functional scope of the kidney far beyond filtration and electrolyte regulation. He investigates the kidney as an endocrine integration organ coordinating mineral metabolism, energy homeostasis, and systemic signaling pathways. His research demonstrates how renal hormones, metabolic sensors, and inter-organ communication contribute to the pathophysiology of chronic kidney disease, osteopathies, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular complications. His work highlights system-level perspectives linking molecular mechanisms with translational relevance.

Prof. Medha Pathak is a leading expert in mechanotransduction whose research shows how mechanical forces control cell behavior, tissue development, and regenerative processes. Through her pioneering work on Piezo1 as a universal mechanosensitive ion channel, she has identified principles spanning vascular development, immune responses, and neuronal and epithelial repair mechanisms. She stands out for linking molecular biophysics, cell biology, and translational approaches.

Prof. Susan Quaggin is an internationally leading expert in vascular and lymphatic biology whose research redefines fundamental mechanisms of endothelial function, vascular development, and organ homeostasis. She demonstrates how endothelial signaling pathways, mechanosensitive processes, and interactions between blood and lymphatic vessels govern organ architecture, and how disruptions lead to diseases such as glaucoma, renal fibrosis, and vascular malformations. Her work uniquely integrates molecular mechanisms with clinically relevant concepts and opens new therapeutic perspectives.

With Boye L. Jensen, a leading expert in vascular physiology will be honored in 2026, whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of endothelial function, signal transduction, and vascular homeostasis. His research combines innovative methodologies with exceptional scientific rigor and has elucidated key mechanisms of vascular regulation that are crucial for cardiovascular health and disease. Jensen is also an inspiring academic teacher whose commitment to education and interdisciplinary collaboration has strengthened the field of physiology in a lasting way. Through his scientific excellence, international impact, and continuous contribution to advancing the discipline, he embodies the core values of the Ulf von Euler Prize.

Prof. Denis Burdakov is a leading neuroscientist whose research reveals how neural circuits coordinate energy balance, arousal, and behavior under real physiological conditions. His work on hypothalamic networks, including orexin-expressing and metabolically sensitive neurons, demonstrates how the brain integrates environmental stimuli, internal energy reserves, and behavioral priorities. He combines cutting-edge imaging, cellular physiology, and in-vivo behavioral analysis to uncover fundamental principles of metabolic and stress regulation.

Prof. Seth Margolis is a neuroscientist whose research elucidates key mechanisms of synaptic regulation and neuronal plasticity, particularly the role of the membrane proteasome in controlling local protein degradation at synapses. This work offers new insights into how neural circuits adapt and how disruptions contribute to disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and other neurodegenerative or neurodevelopmental conditions. With the concept of the membrane proteasome, Prof. Margolis has opened an entirely new field of research.

As an internationally recognized expert in renal physiology, Prof. Frank Schweda consistently bridges cutting-edge science with everyday health relevance. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of renal regulation, hypertension, and hormonal control, providing a strong foundation for addressing both disease risks and preventive strategies. He is known for an experienced and compelling communication with students, making him ideally suited to educate and inspire a broad public audience on “How kidneys work: risks and chances for public health.”

Professor Ildikó Szabó is an internationally recognized leader in mitochondrial physiology and ion channel research. Her work has fundamentally advanced our understanding of how mitochondrial ion channels integrate metabolic signals, redox balance, and calcium dynamics to regulate cell fate decisions. By elucidating the roles of potassium, chloride, and calcium-permeable channels in mitochondria, her work has revealed how these pathways control processes such as apoptosis, inflammation, and cellular stress responses in both health and disease, offering new perspectives on immune regulation, cancer biology, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Prof. Tobias Wang is a world-leading comparative physiologist whose research uncovers evolutionary principles of oxygen transport and blood flow across species. His approach integrates biomechanics, cardiovascular physiology, and evolutionary biology to explain why diverse species develop similar functional solutions for gas exchange and how such convergence enhances animal models in human physiology. His work forms a unique bridge between basic research, translational relevance, and experimental model selection to reveal fundamental design principles of vertebrate circulatory systems.

As part of our annual instructional development session in physiology, we are pleased to welcome Prof. Gemma Mazzuoli-Weber (Hannover Medical School). She is not only a leading and methodologically versatile scientist in the field of mechanosensitivity of enteric neurons and their role in gastrointestinal motility, but also an exceptionally dedicated educator at the Institute of Physiology and Cell Biology in Hannover.

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Prof. Meital Oren-Suissa is a leading international expert for the influence of genetic sex on the formation of neural circuits and behavior. Using cutting-edge techniques at the molecular, cellular, network and behavioral level she studies how subtle, sex-specific changes in circuit wiring and neuromodulation are amplified into robust differences in behavior, flexibility, and disease susceptibility.