In publica commoda

Prof. Dr. Kurt von Figura

Personal details:

  • Born:
    16.05.1944 in Heiningen/Baden-Württemberg
  • Nationality:
    German
  • Marital status:
    Married, 4 children


Academic background:

  • 1963 – 1969
    Degree in Medicine at the universities of Tübingen and Vienna
  • 1969 – 1970
    Medical intern (Bad Wildungen, Tübingen and Munich)
  • 1970
    Graduation to Dr. med. (University of Tübingen)
  • 1971 – 1986
    Physiological-Chemical Institute of the University of Münster, scientific assistant (1972-1976), senior assistant (1976/77), Wissenschaftlicher Rat [civil servant lecturer] / Professor C3 (1977-1986)
  • 1975
    Habilitation at the University of Münster
  • 1986 - 2004
    Professor for Biochemistry (C4) at the Centre for Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, dept.Biochemistry II, of the Faculty of Medicine of the Georg-August-University Göttingen
  • 1989
    Commencement in the Faculty of Biology of the Georg-August-University Göttingen through co-opting
  • 1992
    Offered a professorship for Biochemistry (C4) at the University of Heidelberg (declined)
  • 2005 – 2010
    President of the Georg-August-University Göttingen



Distinctions:

  • 1978
    Prize of Hoechst AG
  • 1981
    FEBS Anniversary Price
  • 1982
    Lecturer scholarship of the Chemical Industry Fund
  • 1988
    EMBO-Membership
  • 1998
    Member of the Academy of Sciences Göttingen
  • 2002
    Dr. h.c. of the University of Namur/Belgium
  • 2002
    Otto-Warburg-Medal
  • 2004
    Member of the German Academy of Naturalists Leopoldina



University of Göttingen, inter-departmental functions:

  • Speaker of the Graduate College “Signal-mediated transport of proteins and vesicles” (1990 – 1996)
  • Speaker of the SFB 523 “Protein and membrane transport between cellular compartments” (since 1996)
  • Managing Director of the Centre for Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology (1989-1991, 1997-1999 and 2002-2004)
  • Managing Director of the Göttingen Centre for Molecular Bioscience (1999 – 2003)
  • Member of the Senate of the University of Göttingen (1999 – 2003)
  • Head of the International MSc/Ph.D course “Molecular Biology” (2000 – 2004)



Head of the International MSc/Ph.D course “Molecular Biology” (2000 – 2004)

German Research Association

  • Consultant (1988 – 1990)
  • Chair of the specialist committee “Biological Chemistry and Biophysics” (1990)
  • Member of the Senate and Central Committee (1990 – 1996)
  • Member of the Senate Committee for Clinical Research (since 1997)


Max-Planck-Society

  • Member of the specialist committee of the Max-Planck-Institute for Biochemistry, Martinsried (1994 – 2001)
  • Member of the research field committee “Neurobiology of the Max-Planck-Society“ (1999 – 2000)
  • Member of the board of trustees of the Max-Planck-Institute for biophysical chemistry, Göttingen (since 2004)
  • Member of the board of trustees of the Max-Planck-Institute for experimental medicine (since 2004)


Helmholtz Society

  • Member of the board of trustees of the Max-Delbrück-Centre for Molecular Medicine “Berlin-Buch” (since 2003)


BMBF

  • Member of the German-Israeli Project Cooperation (DIP) (since 1997)


Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

  • Member of the selection committee for the Humboldt and F.W. Bessel research prizes (since 2001)




Universities

  • Member of the Scientific Council of the Centre of Molecular Biology of the University of Heidelberg (ZMBH) (1998 – 2002)
  • Council of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research of the University of Münster (IZKF) (since 2000)
  • Member of the Scientific Council of the Centre for Molecular Neurobiology of the University of Hamburg (ZMNH) (since 2001)
  • Council of the Rudolf-Virchow-Centre for Experimental Biomedicine/DFG Research Centre, University of Würzburg (since 2002)
  • Council of the Rudolf-Virchow-Centre for Experimental Biomedicine/DFG Research Centre, University of Würzburg (since 2002)


Miscellaneous

  • Member of the administrative council of the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation (formerly SmithKline Beecham Foundation) (since 1991)
  • Member of the board of trustees of the Association of German Naturalists and Doctors (1997 – 2001)
  • Member of the expert group University Planning of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (2001 – 2002)
  • Member of the expert group “Structural reform in the Medical Faculties of Berlin’s Universities” (2002)
  • Member of the working group “Structures supporting research and teaching in university medicine” of the Scientific Council (since 2001)


Editorial Work

  • Eur. J. Biochem.,
  • Biochem. J.,
  • Eur. J. Cell Biol. (since 1999)