1. In addition to your many accolades, you have been recognized by the South Florida Business Journal as a “2010 Influential Business Woman” and you were recently honored at a Women Pioneers in Florida Business luncheon. Can you share some of your unique experiences and reflections on being a woman in the growing field of bioscience?1.
Actually, I’ve never reflected upon that from a woman’s point of view – my focus has been on a particular project, challenge, or responsibility. I have always tried to do the job to the best of my knowledge and capabilities. But I was very honored to be recognized as a Woman Pioneer in Florida Business, because unfortunately women still face more challenges than men in leadership roles.
2. As the Vice President for Institute Development for the Max Planck Florida Institute, you are charged with overseeing the development of Max Planck’s first scientific research facility in the United States. This summer the 100,000 square foot project broke ground on the MacArthur campus of Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter. Can you share with us some of the amenities of the new facility which is expected to assume occupancy in 2012?
It’s a very exciting time for us. Our new facility will provide a state-of-the-art home for our scientists and research teams. The building is designed to accommodate nearly 58,000-square-feet of laboratory space that will house wet and dry bench research, instrumentation labs, computational research, core imaging facilities and microscope suites, information technology services and offices for researchers and support staff.
The scientific facilities will be organized into three research wings, including six guest labs to facilitate collaborative research with the scientific community in the field. The building also features conference rooms, a 100-seat auditorium, an open lobby that links all three floor levels and a large atrium that is connected to an outdoor terrace on the second floor and provides a central gathering space.
3. As a research coordinator and head of the Central Scientific Laboratories and Technical Facilities for the Max Planck Institute of Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany, you spearheaded the establishment of a global warming research station in Siberia. How did this experience, on what we typically envision a vast frozen taiga, influence your decision and prepare you in overseeing the development of a research center here in the densely populated sunshine state?
The project in Siberia was logistically very challenging due to the remote location. Because of the severe seasons – very cold and frozen during winter and surprisingly very hot during the summer – the construction schedule pace was not always ideal. Maintaining a scientific operation that was robust enough to sustain during these seasonal challenges needed a lot of interaction between all parties involved – the scientists from the Max Planck Society and their counterparts from the Russian Academy of Sciences, local authorities and institutions, planning and construction partners. Facilitating and coordinating this process was a major part of the project and my primary responsibility. This experience was invaluable and helped me more than I can say when starting up the Max Planck Florida Institute from the ground up….I suppose there’s no need to state the obvious that I far prefer the Florida weather!
4. Can you provide for us the broad focus of the Max Planck Florida Institute and in laymen terms, what types of research which will be carried out here in Florida?
The Max Planck Florida Institute seeks to provide new insight into important biological questions using innovative experimental and theoretical methodologies. Currently, our research groups are underway with studying the brain at the cellular level. Collectively, their work will provide fundamental impulses that can open up new technological possibilities in medical diagnostics and care for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, mental retardation and others.
5. Considering the close proximity to Scripps, are you anticipating any research collaborations with the neighboring research facility? Do you have any projections on how the two research centers will interact?
Scripps has been very helpful to the Max Planck Florida Institute — and to me personally. They are always willing to share their experiences and advice, which has been instrumental in getting started here in Florida.
We are planning collaborations on many levels. Scientifically, they have a department with a neuroscience focus, and as our research progresses, we anticipate points of interaction between our scientists. We are also planning a joint educational program for Palm Beach County high school students called Neuroscience Saturdays that is scheduled to launch Fall 2010.
6. You received your bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from the Academy of Foreign Languages in Munich; a master’s of science degree in biology from TUM; and a doctorate in biology from the Institute of Botany and Microbiology at TUM. The Max Planck Institute is being developed on the FAU campus and you are currently serving on the Advisory Board of Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Education is clearly one of your life’s passions. Are you currently tabling any discussions with FAU on how they can incorporate the Max Planck Florida Institute into their graduate programs?
We are very pleased to announce a new, joint Integrative Biology and Neuroscience graduate program with FAU that is currently recruiting students and is scheduled to welcome its first class in Fall 2011. The program is expected to attract top-notch graduate students locally, nationally and internationally.
To mark the official launch of the new graduate program, Max Planck Florida Institute and FAU are hosting an inaugural Neuroscience Symposium, September 28-29 in the Senate Chambers of the Student Union at FAU’s Boca Raton campus.
Attending students, faculty and fellow scientists will have the opportunity to learn about the latest scientific advances to address some of the most complex issues at the forefront of today’s neuroscience research.
About Dr. Hillinger
Dr. Claudia Hillinger serves as a representative of the Max Planck Society’s Division of International Relations and is responsible for establishing the Max Planck Florida Institute – the first time in its 60-year history that the German research organization will have a presence in the United States. In Florida, the Max Planck Florida Institute will focus on advancing the world’s knowledge of bioimaging by using advanced techniques to in vivo study molecular processes. As Vice President for Institute Development, Dr. Hillinger will oversee the establishment of this 100,000-square-foot research facility, which will be located near Scripps Florida on six acres at Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) MacArthur campus in Jupiter.
Dr. Hillinger joined Max Planck Society more than 10 years ago and was responsible for Institute development before becoming the research coordinator and head of the Central Scientific Laboratories and Technical Facilities for the Max Planck Institute of Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany, which focuses on climate change, earth system sciences and biodiversity. Previously, she held the position of research group leader at the Institute of Botany and Microbiology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and served as assistant to both the American Deputy Director and the German Program Director at the American Embassy in Bonn, Germany and Amerika Haus München.
Dr. Hillinger received her bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from the Academy of Foreign Languages in Munich; a master’s of science degree in biology from TUM; and her doctorate in biology from the Institute of Botany and Microbiology at TUM.
