As of January 1, 2023, Martin Weissenborn moved over completely to the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) to become Professor of "Bioorganic Chemistry." In 2016, the chemist was appointed to a joint junior professorship at MLU and IPB and began to establish his own Independent Junior Research Group at IPB.
In his research, he focuses on enzyme engineering for unusual and useful reactions. To do this, he and his team employ directed evolution. This means that promising enzyme candidates are mutated at specific positions and then selected for improved or novel catalytic capacities. In recent years, this resulted in several successfully engineered enzymes (news tickers #95, #97). Also, the development of enabling techniques such as a high-throughput yeast expression system and the GoldenMutagenesis method accompanied this research.
Martin Weissenborn excellently passed his 2019 mid-term evaluation and can now move from his tenure-track junior professorship to a full professorship to continue his research at MLU. We congratulate on the professorship and wish him all the best for his move next door and his work ahead!