The institute has three directors, namely, Caroline Gutjahr, Claudia Köhler and Ralph Bock, all leading a specific research department.
Alongside the dedicated scientists working within its walls, prominent individuals from industrial, financial, political and cultural circles form its Board of Trustees to strengthen and support the links between our institute and the greater community.
The mentioned board overseas the affairs of MPIMP as well as neighboring Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces also based in Golm.
As of February 2014, the following are the members of the Board of Trustees:[3] In order to further and reinforce the institute's pursuance for knowledge of molecular plant physiology, MPIMP has collaborated with various experts from different universities around the world:[4] The Department of Molecular Physiology is focused on metabolism in its broadest sense, primarily using reverse genetics to alter plants and functional genomic approaches to analyze the pleiotropic effects of these alterations.
Other research topics concern the mechanisms of genome evolution in eukaryotes and the genetic and evolutionary processes that underlie the physiological plasticity of plant species, populations and ecosystems.