Max Planck Center for Physics and Medicine (MPZPM) Honors Late FAU Researcher
The bridge connecting the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin (MPZPM) and the Center for Personalized Medicine and Research (CESAR) on the North Campus of the Universitätsklinikum Erlangen (UKER) has been named the Jochen-Guck Bridge since September 22, 2026. It is named after the Max Planck director, who passed away in October 2025 and played a key role in establishing MPZPM. The inauguration ceremony took place as part of the “How do you feel” symposium, which brought over a hundred renowned scientists from the field of biophysics to Erlangen.
In September 2024, MPZPM was officially opened. This collaborative center of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and UKER fosters a new kind of research culture: physicists and medical scientists conduct joint research to better understand fundamental medical questions from a physical perspective. Prof. Jochen Guck, Director at MPL, headed the “Cell Physics” division at MPZPM. A commemorative plaque inside the building on the MPZPM side, as well as a timeline chronicling the development of this flagship Erlangen project in cross-disciplinary research, honor his scientific legacy. As a globally recognized pioneer in the field of cell mechanics, he played a key role in establishing the center and enhancing its international reputation.
The bridge’s inauguration ceremony featured welcoming remarks from the spokespersons of MPZPM, the president of FAU, and UKER hospital administration. The bridge symbolizes the close connection between physics and medicine, as well as the three collaborating partners.
In his welcoming speech, Prof. Vahid Sandoghdar, Chair of Experimental Physics at FAU and Managing Director of MPL and spokesperson for MPZPM, emphasized how pleased they had been to attract Jochen Guck to Erlangen—precisely because of his exceptional personality.
“Unfortunately, Jochen was already very ill at the time of this building’s inauguration. But I think he was very happy that we had come this far. He was a great advocate for bringing biophysics closer to medical research—not only seeking answers at the molecular level, but also exploring fundamental questions from a physical perspective. That’s why he was the right person for our center and its mission. Over the years, I recognized that this was not just a scientific vision, but that it also reflected his love for humanity.”
Prof. Vasily Zaburdaev, holder of the Chair of Mathematics in the Life Sciences at FAU, head of the “Immunophysics” division and also spokesperson for MPZPM, added:
“What remains is Jochen’s vision: his scientific and personal legacy. We encounter it throughout this entire conference. That is why MPZPM was founded, and Jochen had fully dedicated himself to this mission in his final years. It feels right that this bridge now bears his name. Personally, I am glad to be reminded every morning, as I walk past the memorial plaque, of what we created together, what we had set out to do, and what we now wish to complete without him.”
Prof. Joachim Hornegger, President of FAU, recalled Jochen Guck:
“When I heard that this bridge will carry Jochen Guck’s name, I thought to myself: Yes, that’s right. Jochen Guck built bridges long before this bridge here was built. He brought physics and medicine together and combined physical thinking and methodology with those of medicine and biology. He was the link between the Max Planck Society and our university as well as the University Hospital. Above all, however, he brought people together—researchers.”
Prof. Markus Neurath, Dean of the FAU School of Medicine and Director of Medical Clinic 1 at the UKER, said:
“Jochen Guck was a physicist, but a physicist with an extraordinary instinct for clinical and biological questions. He did not look at medicine from a distance. Rather, he asked with genuine curiosity: What are the problems that concern physicians? Where do established diagnostic and therapeutic approaches reach their limits? And how can a physics-based approach help push those boundaries? For us as a university hospital, this was of particular importance. Jochen Guck did not see fundamental research and clinical applicability as opposites, but rather as parts of a continuum.”
Contact
Edda Fischer
Tel.: 09131/7133 805
MPLpresse@mpl.mpg.de