Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization

Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization

What we want
No matter how well we understand how a single droplet of water is formed in the laboratory, we cannot predict how countless droplets form clouds that substantially affect the Earth’s climate. And although we can accurately characterize a single neuron’s impulse, we do not yet understand how billions of them form a single thought. In such systems, animate or inanimate, processes of self-organization are at work: Many interacting parts organize themselves independently, without external control, into a complex whole. At our institute we explore the mechanisms underlying these processes in order to gain a detailed understanding of complex systems. Also the major challenges of the 21st century, from climate change and economic crises to problems in energy supply and transport, are closely linked to these scientific questions. Without a deep understanding of dynamics and self-organization in complex and highly networked systems we cannot face these challenges. With our basic research not only do we want to deepen our understanding of nature, but also want to contribute to a sustainable existence on this planet.

News


Assembly instructions for enzymes

Assembly instructions for enzymes

March 28, 2025
Universal rules can help to design an optimal enzyme from scratch
Cell colonies under pressure – how growth can prevent motion

Cell colonies under pressure – how growth can prevent motion

April 28, 2025
The interaction between growth and the active migration of cells plays a crucial role in the spatial mixing of growing cell colonies. This connection was discovered by scientists from the Department of Living Matter Physics at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS). Their results provide new approaches to understanding the dynamics of bacterial colonies and tumors.
Activity stabilizes mixtures

Activity stabilizes mixtures

April 22, 2025
Non-reciprocal interactions between particles allow regulation of dynamic states

Research Departments

Fluid Physics, Pattern Formation and Biocomplexity

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Eberhard Bodenschatz

We are investigating the dynamics of a variety of complex nonlinear systems both experimentally and theoretically. Our interests are currently focused on biocomplexity in cell-biology, Lagrangian properties of fully developed turbulence, pattern formation and spatio-temporal chaos, and the Geodynamics of the earth's crust.

Living Matter Physics

Prof. Dr. Ramin Golestanian

The department of Living Matter Physics is engaged in a wide range of theoretical research aimed at a multi-scale understanding of the dynamics of living systems from a physical perspective. The aim is to understand the complex dynamics of living matter well enough to be able to make it from the bottom-up; i.e. from molecules to systems.

Max Planck Research Groups

Turbulence and Wind Energy
Dr. Claudia Brunner
Theory of Turbulent Convection
PD Dr. Olga Shishkina
BiomedicalPhysics
Prof. Dr. Stefan Luther
Dynamics of Biological Networks
Prof. Dr. Fred Wolf
Complex SystemsTheory
Prof. Dr. Viola Priesemann
Theory of Biological Fluids
Dr. David Zwicker

In a nutshell

Dates

MPI-DS Colloquium: Illuminating brain neurochemistry with nanoscale near-infrared probes

Prof. Markita del Carpio Landry
Jul 2, 2025 02:15 PM - 03:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation (MPIDS), Room: Prandtl Lecture Hall and Zoom Meeting ID 959 2774 3389 Passcode: 651129

MPI-DS Colloquium: tbd

Prof. Ulrich Keyser
Sep 3, 2025 02:15 PM - 03:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation (MPIDS), Room: Prandtl Lecture Hall and Zoom Meeting ID 959 2774 3389 Passcode: 651129

MPI-DS Colloquium: TBD

Prof. Dr. Florian Marquardt
Sep 17, 2025 02:15 PM - 03:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation (MPIDS), Room: Seminar Room at MPI-DS and Zoom Meeting ID: 959 2774 3389 Passcode: 651129

MPI-DS Colloquium: tbd

Prof. Damien Baigl
Oct 22, 2025 02:15 PM - 03:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation (MPIDS), Room: Prandtl Lecture Hall and Zoom Meeting ID 959 2774 3389 Passcode: 651129

MPI-DS Colloquium: TBD

Prof. Dr. Christoph Weber
Nov 5, 2025 02:15 PM - 03:15 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation (MPIDS), Room: Prandtl Lecture Hall and Zoom Meeting ID: 959 2774 3389 Passcode: 651129
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