10 Facts About Max Birnstiel

Max Birnstiel is recognized for one of the earliest discoveries of a gene enhancer element.

Birnstiel was born in Brazil in 1933; his father, Max Birnstiel, was Swiss and his mother, Dalila Varella, was Brazilian.

The family moved to Switzerland when the younger Max Birnstiel was five years old, and he was educated in Zurich.

In 1963, Max Birnstiel was recruited by Conrad Waddington to a faculty position in the genetics department at the University of Edinburgh, where he remained until 1972, advancing to the rank of professor.

In 1986, Max Birnstiel became the founding director of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, which under his leadership became a major center for life sciences research and the biotechnology industry.

Max Birnstiel served as director at the IMP until 1996, when he retired and was succeeded by Kim Nasmyth.

Max Birnstiel received numerous awards for his scientific achievements and was regarded in the 1980s as a major figure in the Swiss scientific community.

Max Birnstiel died in 2014 at age 81, of heart failure following radiation therapy for inoperable cancer.

Max Birnstiel was remembered for his love of food and wine and enthusiasm for travel.

In 2017, the Max Birnstiel Foundation was created to promote training and career development of young researchers in the field of molecular life sciences.