JOIN US — We are constantly looking for people with big ideas, who would enjoy and augment the intellectual freedom we provide. If this appeals to you, get in touch — contact any group leader.

Open Positions

Our Mission

The GMI is a research institute devoted to plant biology. Plants created our atmosphere and sustain life on earth. Our goal is to make fundamental discoveries that help us understand how plants function — discoveries that may be essential to address global challenges like climate change. Our research ranges from molecules to ecosystems, involving a wide variety of plants — all depending on the question. We believe in enabling researchers at all levels to pursue big questions in an intellectually stimulating, diverse, and collaborative environment. Key to our success are minimal hierarchy and bureaucracy, outstanding facilities, and core funding.

Microscopy image of an Arabidopsis flower bud. In green, stem cell nuclei. In magenta, a cytoplasmic marker for the epidermal layer.

©Bradamante/Mittelsten Scheid/GMI

About us

The GMI is part of the Vienna BioCenter, a leading life science cluster comprising several research institutes, universities, and start-up companies and located close to the center of Vienna. The institute is owned and funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). Research topics include basic mechanisms of epigenetics, cell biology, plant-pathogen interactions, developmental biology, and population genetics. The GMI provides a lively, international working environment with around 130 people, embedded in a campus with over 1700 people from more than 70 countries. The working language is English. We strive for a friendly, inclusive environment, and provide an on-campus child care center.

Jubilee Lecture and Symposium on the 25th Anniversary of the Gregor Mendel Institute: A Plant-astic Quarter Century


Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more

Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more
Read more

Apr
22
10:00
Read more
Apr
22
10:00
Read more
Apr
22
13:00
Read more
Apr
22
15:00
Read more

Cheng C, McCauley BS, Matulionis N, et al. (2025) Histone H3 cysteine 110 enhances iron metabolism and modulates replicative life span in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sci Adv 11(15):eadv4082.

Gandhivel VH, Sotelo-Parrilla P, Raju S, et al. (2025) An Oryza-specific histone H4 variant predisposes H4 lysine 5 acetylation to modulate salt stress responses. Nat Plants [epub].

Son N, Kim H, Kim J, et al. (2025) The histone variant H2A.W restricts heterochromatic crossovers in Arabidopsis. PNAS 122(14):e2413698122.

Capparotto A, Salvucci P, Ciampanelli A, et al. (2025) Plant genetic and root-associated microbial diversity modulate Lactuca sativa responsiveness to a soil inoculum under phosphate deficiency. bioRxiv:2025.04.02.646582.

Walker J, Zhang J, Liu Y, et al. (2025) Extensive N4 cytosine methylation is essential for Marchantia sperm function. Cell [epub] preprint bioRxiv:2021.02.12.428880.

Husremović T, Meier V, Piëch L, et al. (2025) PHLPP2 is a pseudophosphatase that lost activity in the metazoan ancestor. PNAS 122(14):e2417218122.

Tanizawa Y, Mochizuki T, Yagura M, et al. (2025) MarpolBase: Genome database for Marchantia polymorpha featuring high quality reference genome sequences. bioRxiv:2025.03.30.646155

Nguyen VH, Mittelsten Scheid O, Gutzat R (2025) Heat stress response and transposon control in plant shoot stem cells. Plant Physiol 197(4):kiaf110 preprint bioRxiv:2023.02.24.529891.

Petroll R, Papareddy RK, Krela R, et al. (2025) The expansion and diversification of epigenetic regulatory networks underpins major transitions in the evolution of land plants. Mol Biol Evol 42(4):msaf064 preprint bioRxiv:2024.09.22.614159.

Feng Q, Zhu S, Wang X, et al. (2025) Root hair lifespan is antagonistically controlled by autophagy and programmed cell death. bioRxiv:2025.03.18.643910.

Zhao J, Löfke C, ..., Dagdas Y (2025) Cell-type specific autophagy in root hair forming cells is essential for salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. bioRxiv:2025.03.18.643786.

Dombey R, Buendía-Ávila D, ..., Marí-Ordóñez A (2025) Atypical epigenetic and small RNA control of degenerated transposons and their fragments in clonally reproducing Spirodela polyrhiza. Genome Res 35(3):522-44 preprint bioRxiv: 2024.04.03.587901.

Hoffman-Sommer M, Piłka N, Anielska-Mazur A, et al. (2025) The TRAPPC8/TRS85 subunit of the Arabidopsis TRAPPIII tethering complex regulates endoplasmic reticulum function and autophagy. Plant Physiol 197(3):kiaf042 preprint bioRxiv:2024.01.11.575191.

Merai Z, Xu F, Hajdu A, et al. (2025) Phytochrome A is required for light-inhibited germination of Aethionema arabicum seed. bioRxiv:2025.02.26.640300.

Janse van Rensburg H, Schandry N, Waelchli J, et al. (2025) A TNL receptor mediates microbiome feedbacks in Arabidopsis. bioRxiv:2025.02.25.640125.

Braeuer P, Tirian L, Mueller F, et al. (2025) In vivo crosslinking and effective 2D enrichment for interactome studies of the nucleosome. bioRxiv:2025.02.25.640081.

Jacko-Reynolds VKL, Kwong WK, Livingston SJ, et al. (2025) Phylogenomics of coral-infecting corallicolids reveal multiple independent losses of chlorophyll biosynthesis in apicomplexan parasites. Curr Biol 35(5):1156-63.

Julian J, Gao P, ... Dagdas Y (2025) ATG8ylation of vacuolar membrane protects plants against cell wall damage. Nat Plants 11(2):321-39 preprint bioRxiv:2024.04.21.590262.


The GMI is part of the Vienna BioCenter, one of the leading international life science research centers worldwide that has established itself as the premier location for life sciences in Central Europe.

viennabiocenter.org