Events & Seminars Calendar

Here, we list public events and research seminars at the MPI-CBG and events targeted at the general public and the scientific community. 

Information on internal seminars is available via the MPI-CBG Intranet. You can find further information on upcoming research seminars and scientific events happening at all Dresden research institutions via the Dresden Science Calendar.

Upcoming Events

  • Mar 26 - Mar 27, 2026

    GROW@Dresden 2026

    Graduate Research Opportunities for Women is a two-day conference for underrepresented gender identities in mathematics interested in exploring graduate programmes and research opportunities within and beyond academia.

    Technische Universität Dresden & MPI-CBG

    Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence

  • Mar 26 - Mar 29, 2026

    CRISPR-Roadshow

    Learn about the CRISPR/Cas method, talk to experts face to face, and discover science in a fun way.

    Various locations in Dresden

    Molecular and Cellular Systems

  • Apr 14, 2026 14:30 - 16:00

    Seniorenakademie

    Paulo von Petersenn: Computern das Denken beibringen - warum große Sprachmodelle so gut funktionieren

    MPI-CBG - Auditorium

    Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence Molecular and Cellular Systems

  • Apr 23, 2026 09:00 - 12:00

    Girls’ Day

    Dem Leben auf der Spur - Wie wird man Wissenschaftlerin?

    MPI-CBG

  • Apr 28, 2026 14:30 - 16:00

    Seniorenakademie

    Dr. Maximilian Wiesmann: Die Geburt künstlichen Lebens

    MPI-CBG - Auditorium

    Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence

  • May 12, 2026 09:00 - 12:00

    ELBE Postdoctoral Fellows Program Selection Symposium

    Prospective candidates for the ELBE Postdoctoral Fellows Program visit Dresden to interview and present their science publicly.

    MPI-CBG - CSBD SR Top Floor

  • May 19, 2026 14:30 - 16:00

    Seniorenakademie

    Dr. Tamina Lebek: Zellen im Gespräch

    MPI-CBG - Auditorium

    Organoids and Organisms

  • Jun 9, 2026 14:30 - 16:00

    Seniorenakademie

    Dr. Meline Macher: Ungleiche Nachbarn in der Zelle

    MPI-CBG - Auditorium

    Molecular and Cellular Systems

  • Jun 22 - Jun 25, 2026 09:00 - 16:00

    Discrete Laplacians 2026

    A workshop bringing researchers together to present and discuss recent advances in the theory and use of discrete Laplacians

    MPI-CBG

    Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence

  • Jun 26 - Jun 27, 2026 17:00 - 00:00

    Dresden Science Night

    Dresden research institutions open their doors to the public and share their science through a variety of lectures, experiments, guided tours, exhibitions, and films.

    MPI-CBG

  • Aug 10 - Sep 18, 2026

    Dive into Research

    A 6 Week Intensive on Combinatorics in Algebraic Statistics and Game Theory

    MPI-CBG

    Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence

  • Aug 24 - Aug 25, 2026

    MPI-CBG 25th Anniversary Celebration

    Celebrating 25 years at the MPI-CBG in Dresden

    MPI-CBG

  • Sep 15, 2026 14:30 - 16:00

    Seniorenakademie

    Johanna Lattner: Wenig Sauerstoff, große Wirkung – Wie sich Plazentazellen spezialisieren und neues Leben ermöglichen

    MPI-CBG - Auditorium

    Organoids and Organisms

Upcoming Seminars

  • Mar 26, 2026 15:00 - 16:00

    Tropical KP theory

    Yelena Mandelshtam

    University of Michigan

    CSBD SR Top Floor (VC)

    Host: Local Organisers: Nikola Sadovek, Maximilian Wiesmann, Giulio Zucal

    Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence

    Abstract

    The Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) equation is a central example of an integrable nonlinear PDE with deep connections to algebraic geometry. A classical construction of Krichever produces quasi-periodic solutions from algebraic curves together with divisor data via Riemann theta functions. At the same time, soliton solutions have a rich combinatorial structure: work of Kodama-Williams and others relates them to the geometry and combinatorics of the positive Grassmannian. In this talk I will describe recent and ongoing work with several collaborators that develops a “tropical KP theory’’ connecting these two viewpoints. When an algebraic curve degenerates to a tropical curve, the associated theta-function solutions collapse to soliton solutions. We show that the algebro-geometric data in the Krichever construction admits a direct tropical/combinatorial description that determines the resulting soliton solution. In particular, one can translate the geometric data of the degeneration into purely combinatorial objects that encode the soliton structure. This perspective provides a concrete way to pass from algebraic curves to soliton solutions and reveals a new combinatorial layer underlying the classical algebro-geometric theory of KP.

  • Mar 28, 2026 19:00 - 21:00

    Forum on CRISPR-Cas: „Sie fragen – wir erklären

    Wolfgang Nellen, Prof. für Genetik

    University of Kassel

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: MPI - CBG

  • Apr 16, 2026 11:00 - 12:00

    The role of energy in cellular information processing

    Jeremy Gunawardena

    Pompeu Fabra University, Spain

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Aida Maraj

    Abstract

    Energy expenditure is essential to life but cellular information processing can take place without it. Bacterial gene regulation, for example, appears not to rely on it. We have, in consequence, adopted an equilibrium thermodynamic perspective for thinking about how genes work, even in eukaryotes. I will discuss theoretical results based on the "linear framework" that characterise the limits, or Hopfield barriers, to information processing at equilibrium and the challenges of undertaking compelling experiments to reveal the impact of energy expenditure in eukaryotic genomes. More broadly, I will suggest that this research programme shows how mathematical theory can sometimes get behind the data, to uncover a conceptual landscape that leads to new kinds of experiments and new ways of interpreting data.

  • Apr 16, 2026 14:00 - 16:00

    A Three-Regime Theorem for Flow-Firing

    Selvi Kara

    Bryn Mawr College

    CSBD SR Top Floor (VC)

    Host: Local Organisers: Nikola Sadovek, Maximilian Wiesmann, Giulio Zucal

    Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence

    Abstract

    Flow-firing, introduced by Felzenszwalb-Klivans, is a 2D analogue of chip-firing: an integer flow on the edges of a cell complex evolves by repeatedly applying local rerouting moves around faces. In their original work, the only proven confluent family on the grid stabilized (independent of firing choices) into an Aztec diamond, a centered diamond-shaped patch of unit squares. In this talk I will explain how far this phenomenon extends. For a natural family of conservative “pulse” initial conditions, we prove a three-regime theorem: there is a small-support regime with unique stabilization to the Aztec diamond, an intermediate regime where stabilization occurs but the terminal state is not unique (though the Aztec diamond can still occur), and a large-support regime where confluence fails, including a range where the Aztec-diamond outcome is impossible.

  • May 7, 2026 11:00 - 12:00

    TBA

    Daniel Fletcher

    UC Berkeley, USA

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Stephan Grill

  • May 21, 2026 00:00 - 00:05

    TBA

    Jacqueline Tabler

    Max Planck Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Stephan Grill

    Molecular and Cellular Systems Organoids and Organisms

    Abstract

    TBA

  • May 28, 2026 11:00 - 12:00

    TBA

    Raymond Goldstein

    University of Cambridge, UK

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Pierre Haas

  • Jun 11, 2026 00:00 - 00:05

    TBA

    Benjamin Schumann

    TUD Dresden University of Technology, Germany

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: André Nadler

    Molecular and Cellular Systems Organoids and Organisms Physics of Living Systems

    Abstract

    TBA

  • Sep 17, 2026 11:00 - 12:00

    TBA

    Takashi Hiiragi

    Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Augusto Ortega Granillo and Jonathan Jackson

  • Sep 24, 2026 11:00 - 12:00

    TBA

    Maria Elena Torres-Padilla

    Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Merixtell Huch

  • Oct 29, 2026 11:00 - 12:00

    TBA

    Katharina Sonnen

    Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Rita Mateus

    Molecular and Cellular Systems Organoids and Organisms Physics of Living Systems

  • Nov 5, 2026 00:00 - 00:05

    TBA

    Anne-Claude Gavin

    University of Geneva, Switzerland

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Martin Buitrago Arango and Koichiro Takenaka

    Molecular and Cellular Systems Organoids and Organisms

    Abstract

    TBA

  • Nov 12, 2026 11:00 - 12:00

    TBA

    Madeline Lancaster

    University of Cambridge

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Claudia Gerri

  • Dec 3, 2026 11:00 - 12:30

    TBA

    Martin Beck

    Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Alexander von Appen

    Molecular and Cellular Systems Physics of Living Systems Organoids and Organisms

  • Dec 10, 2026 11:00 - 12:00

    TBA

    David Pellman

    Harvard Medical School, USA

    CBG Large Auditorium

    Host: Alexander von Appen