Hanna Kokko of the University of Zurich will receive the highest endowed German research prize to become founding director of an institute for computer-aided biosciences at Mainz University
1 June 2022
Following her nomination by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), theoretical evolutionary biologist Professor Hanna Kokko has been awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, Germany's highest endowed research prize. Kokko is among the world's leading specialists in her field and is currently holding a professorship at the University of Zurich. She has been appointed to become one of the founding directors of an institute for quantitative and computer-aided biosciences at JGU. It will be her task to develop this into an internationally-recognized center of theoretical biology. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation awards up to ten professorships to top level international researchers every year in order to bring them to German universities for the long term. Researchers in theoretical disciplines awarded such a professorship are granted EUR 3.5 million over the first five years that they are free to use to establish their research team and obtain the equipment and facilities they need. When nominating a candidate, the universities also submit a concept on how they intend to continue to fund the professorship after this period.
"I am very delighted that Professor Hanna Kokko accepted our offer. This is again evidence of the international reputation of the life sciences research hub Rhineland-Palatinate. Professor Kokko will be making significant contributions to the development of the future institute for quantitative and computer-aided biosciences at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, adding a new jewel to the crown of the biotechnology strategy of Rhineland-Palatinate," said Clemens Hoch, Minister for Health and Science of Rhineland-Palatinate.
"The successful appointment of Professor Kokko is already the second time within just a few years that we have been able to enhance our Faculty of Biology by means of the recruitment of an eminent Humboldt Professor," added Professor Georg Krausch, President of JGU. "Her expertise and worldwide visibility will promote our research in the field of the life sciences, a particularly topical discipline that will be of central relevance to fostering our competitiveness in coming years."
Hanno Kokko's research focuses on achieving a better understanding of the interplay between evolutionary and ecological factors. For this purpose, she investigates the point of transition between theory and empiricism, using model calculations to uncover the rationale behind evolutionary processes. Her pioneering contributions to the core issues of evolutionary biology, such as the evolution of sexual reproduction, have helped to decisively shape her discipline over the long term. The provision of evidence that the cooperative behavior of certain species can improve the chances of survival of the individual group members has proved to be one of her most influential findings to date.
Significant step in JGU's strategy of strengthening and expanding the field of life sciences
Professor Hanno Kokko's appointment represents a significant step forward in JGU's strategy of strengthening and expanding the field of life sciences, which experienced thorough restructuring in recent years. This process is now continued by the establishment of the Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (IQCB), which will be the setting for interdisciplinary collaboration between biology, bioinformatics, and medicine. Kokko will be one of a group of founding directors of the IQCB. "Hanna Kokko is an exceptionally talented and distinguished researcher who will significantly bolster what we do here at Mainz University," emphasized Professor Eckhard Thines, Dean of the JGU Faculty of Biology. "Thanks to her unique and wide-ranging know-how with regard to computer-aided modeling and biological interactions, there is no doubt she is the best possible candidate to help us make progress in theoretical biology."
Hanna Kokko was born in Finland in 1971 and has been working as Professor of Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Zurich since 2014. She obtained her doctorate at the University of Helsinki in 1997, where she also received an award for thesis. She has worked as a postdoc researcher at the University of Cambridge and at the University of Glasgow and as senior assistant at the University of Jyväskylä. She was also appointed as an Australian Laureate Fellow, considered to be the country’s most distinguished scientific post. In 2007, she was invited to become a lifelong member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. She has been a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science since 2014 and an International Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science since 2020.