On 1 December, IBC2 group leader Christian Münch took up the Lichtenberg Endowed Professorship for Molecular Systems Medicine. His binding to Goethe University Frankfurt was made possible by co-financing from four foundations: The Volkswagen Foundation is contributing a total of €2 million as part of its "Lichtenberg Endowed Professorships" program, with a further €3 million being provided by the Johanna-Quandt-Universitätsstiftung, the Alfons und Gertrud Kassel-Stiftung and the Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Stiftung. 

Within his professorship, Christian Münch will address two key research areas: Firstly, the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in neurodegenerative diseases and the development of cancer. Secondly, how the cell ensures its homeostasis during protein synthesis and degradation.

Christian Münch heads the Protein Quality Control research group at the Institute of Biochemistry II at Goethe University Frankfurt and is Director of the Functional Proteomics Center of the Goethe University Medical Faculty. He is also a member of the steering committees of the BMBF Cluster4Future PROXIDRUGS, the Collaborative Research Centre 1177 on selective autophagy, the Fraunhofer High-Performance Centre TheraNova and the Cluster of Excellence candidate EMTHERA (Emerging therapeutic strategies) under the leadership of Goethe University.