Roberto Bonasio Receives Max Planck–Humboldt Research Award, Expanding Penn’s Global Research Partnerships
Prestigious international award supports long-term collaboration in epigenetics research between Penn and Germany.
Roberto Bonasio, Ph.D., Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has received the 2020 Max Planck–Humboldt Research Award, one of Germany’s most prestigious international research honors. Jointly awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Max Planck Society, the award recognizes internationally distinguished researchers while supporting long-term scientific collaboration with leading research institutions in Germany.
Beginning in March 2021, the award enabled Bonasio to establish a research outpost in Freiburg im Breisgau, expanding collaboration between Penn and the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics. The partnership provides new opportunities for collaborative research, scientific exchange, and the training of early-career researchers across both institutions.
Roberto Bonasio, Ph.D.
Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Member, Penn Epigenetics Institute
Affiliated Faculty Member, Graduate Group in Cell & Molecular Biology (Genetics & Epigenetics)
Graduate Group in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
Graduate Group in Genomics and Computational Biology
Graduate Group in Neuroscience
Bonasio’s laboratory investigates how epigenetic mechanisms regulate gene expression to influence development, behavior, and disease. Combining molecular biology, genomics, and computational approaches, his research seeks to understand how identical genomes generate remarkably different cellular identities and biological outcomes.
His award-winning research uses social insects as model systems to explore how environmental signals reshape gene regulation and brain function. By studying the molecular mechanisms that allow genetically identical ants to develop into distinct castes with dramatically different behaviors and lifespans, Bonasio’s work has provided fundamental insight into the role of epigenetics in cellular plasticity, development, and aging.
The Max Planck–Humboldt Research Award supports Bonasio’s continued collaboration with researchers in Freiburg to investigate how epigenetic mechanisms regulate brain function and behavioral plasticity. By combining complementary expertise and research resources across institutions, the collaboration aims to advance understanding of gene regulation while strengthening international partnerships in the life sciences.
Strengthening International Research Collaboration
International collaboration is an essential component of Penn’s research enterprise. Partnerships with leading research institutions, including Germany’s Max Planck Society, create opportunities to address complex scientific challenges through complementary expertise, shared resources, and sustained scholarly exchange. Awards such as the Max Planck–Humboldt Research Award not only recognize research excellence but also foster long-term collaborations that expand Penn’s global research network and create new opportunities for discovery.
Through strategic investment in faculty excellence, international partnerships, and interdisciplinary collaboration, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) supports Penn researchers in building relationships that accelerate innovation and extend the University’s research impact worldwide.
Learn more about the Max Planck–Humboldt Research Award:
https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/explore/newsroom/max-planck-humboldt-research-award-2020-for-life-sciences.