Prof. Thomas Misgeld Received Membership Certificate from the Leopoldina
DZNE Munich neuroscientist officially inducted into the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
Munich/Halle (Saale), June 25, 2026. Prof. Thomas Misgeld, neuroscientist at DZNE’s Munich site, and Director of the Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), received his membership certificate from the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina on June 17. This distinction recognizes his outstanding contributions to the neurosciences.
The scholarly society had already elected Misgeld to Class III (Medicine) in 2025. Following a long-standing tradition, newly elected members are invited to Halle (Saale) in the year after their election to receive their membership certificates during a symposium of their respective class and an official induction ceremony. Members of the Leopoldina provide independent, honorary, science-based advice to politicians and society at both the national and international levels on important issues for the future.
Thomas Misgeld investigates the fundamental neurobiological mechanisms through which neurons establish, maintain, and lose their connections in the brain. His research focuses on axons: the long extensions of nerve cells that transmit signals and connect different regions of the brain. Misgeld’s work contributes to a better understanding of how these communication pathways between neurons are formed, how they function, and how they deteriorate in diseases and injuries affecting the nervous system.
The insights gained from his research can help identify new targets for therapeutic development, including treatments for multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injuries.
At the ceremony in Halle, Prof. Misgeld was presented with his Leopoldina membership certificate by the Academy’s President, Prof. Bettina Rockenbach.
About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina: Founded in 1652, the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina is a classic learned society. In 2008, it was designated Germany’s National Academy of Sciences. In this function, it has two special tasks: representing German science abroad and providing scientific advice to politicians and the public. The Academy comprises approximately 1,700 researchers from more than 30 countries and almost all scientific disciplines, including numerous Nobel Prize laureates. Further information: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/