Welcome to the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
We investigate how organisms interact with chemical signals.
We do research in the lab to better understand interactions at a molecular level.
Photo: Anna Schroll
We do research in the glasshouse and in the field to better understand interactions and signals in their natural environment.
Photo: Anna Schroll
We support the Initiative “Weltoffenes Thüringen”.
We are committed to ensuring that people from different backgrounds live and work together in a respectful manner.
Training and international collaborations are key features of our work.
We believe diversity and inclusion leads to the best science.
Research News
Current News and Announcements
Context-dependent influence of path integration on nest plume following in desert ants. iScience, 116523 (2026)
Regulation of beneficial intracellular symbionts in insects. Current Opinion in Insect Science (accepted)
The evolution of fungus farming in ship-timber beetles (Coleoptera: Lymexyloidea). Systematic Entomology 51 (2), e70056 (2026)
Nature is flourishing on the Beutenberg Campus in Jena! Since 2024, the research institutes have focused on mowing less frequently, rotating mowing areas, and preserving untouched refuges. These changes have created a diverse habitat that benefits people, plants, and animals alike.
Matilde Florean honored with prestigious Otto Hahn Medal for groundbreaking work on plant natural product evolution.
Starting May 1, the biochemist and professor of Biostructural Interactions at Friedrich Schiller University Jena will also lead a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology.