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Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard

20 October 1942 – present

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard is a German developmental biologist who shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Eric Wieschaus and Edward B. Lewis for identifying the genes that control early embryonic development in the fruit fly. Their systematic mutagenesis screen, carried out in Heidelberg around 1980, defined gene classes that proved to have counterparts across animals. She later directed a department at the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen and worked on zebrafish development.

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Life events

Born in Magdeburg, Germany
20 October 1942

She was born during the Second World War and grew up in Frankfurt.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Diploma in biochemistry at the University of Tübingen
1969

She switched from biology to the newly created biochemistry course in Tübingen.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Doctorate in genetics at the University of Tübingen
1974

Her doctoral work at the Max Planck Institute for Virus Research concerned protein-DNA binding in bacteria.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Postdoctoral work at the Biozentrum in Basel
1975 – 1977

She moved to Switzerland to take up Drosophila developmental genetics.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg
1978 – 1981

There she and Eric Wieschaus ran a large-scale screen for mutations affecting the fruit fly body plan.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Published "Mutations affecting segment number and polarity in Drosophila" in Nature
1980

The paper with Eric Wieschaus reported the gene classes governing segmentation of the embryo.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Appointed director at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen
1985

She led the genetics department there for the rest of her research career.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
1986

She received Germany's principal research prize from the German Research Foundation.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
1995

The prize was shared with Eric Wieschaus and Edward B. Lewis for work on the genetic control of early embryonic development.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Established a foundation supporting women scientists with children
2004

The Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard Foundation provides grants to help young women researchers in Germany combine research with childcare.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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