- Abuse allegations rock Germany’s most prestigious scientific institution.
- Over 30 researchers describe trauma, silence, and career retaliation.
- Max Planck’s power structure shields abusive directors from oversight.
Gabriel Lando arrived in Dresden in 2020 with dreams of world-class physics research.
Within months, the Brazilian theoretical physicist was trembling like a street dog.
His supervisor, Jan-Michael Rost, had built a reputation directing the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems. The institute belongs to Germany's Max Planck Society, one of the world's most prestigious research organizations with 31 Nobel laureates since 1911.
But a joint investigation by Deutsche Welle and Der Spiegel has uncovered what researchers describe as systemic abuse hidden beneath that gleaming reputation. More than 30 young scientists from Max Planck institutes described abusive behavior and toxic work environments. Most were afraid to report it.
Scientists silenced
30+
Young researchers interviewed who experienced or witnessed misconduct at Max Planck institutes
The Erratic Director
Gabriel remembers a meeting at half past seven one evening. Rost's office, dark. The director eating his meal while Gabriel tried to update him on a paper.
Then came the explosion.
"You arrived here almost a year ago," Rost said, according to Gabriel's account. "You've done nothing. You're useless." He pounded his desk. Gabriel could see him spitting as he yelled.
Twenty researchers from the Dresden institute described similar experiences to DW investigators. The pattern was consistent: the director's rage appeared only when they were alone with him. No witnesses.
What made it worse was the unpredictability. One meeting, Rost would praise an idea, sending the researcher back to work intensely motivated. The next meeting, he would crush that same work completely.
The worst thing is hope. Every time you went back hopeful, he would crush you.
Gabriel Lando, quote from the video.
For researchers from outside Europe, the power imbalance was especially stark. Rost controlled their residency permits through contract renewals. He had leverage.
When Max Planck Excellence Becomes Untouchable
The same organizational principle that produced 31 Nobel prizes appears to have enabled systematic abuse.
Directors at Max Planck institutes wield extraordinary authority. They control hiring, firing, and career trajectories. Young researchers depend on them for publications, recommendations, and future prospects.
What is the Max Planck Society?
Founded in 1911, the Max Planck Society operates 84 research institutes across Germany with €2.1 billion in annual public funding. It's built on a principle from theologian Adolf von Harnack: science advances best through institutes organized around single gifted scientists with unrestricted power.
Daniel Leising, a psychology professor who chairs a commission against abuse of power in German science, has documented dozens of cases. The pattern repeats: helplessness, exploitation, damage that takes years to recover from.
In a male-dominated field, women face additional obstacles. A former doctoral researcher named Aubrey described being excluded from discussions about her own project. Male scientists received credit for work by women. Overstating contributions and minimizing others' work was common practice.
There were project meetings where no women were invited. It happened so often it became normal.
The Reporting Mechanisms That Don't Work
Officially, the Max Planck Society has multiple reporting channels, including an external law firm for confidential complaints.
Gabriel tried them. He was told his anonymity would be respected, but that "at one point, persons involved in a conflict have to be named in one way or another."
Felix, a former PhD researcher at another Max Planck institute, wrote a detailed 40-page report documenting bullying and scientific misconduct. He sent it to the law firm.
They responded by debating what constitutes bullying. Felix pointed them to the society's own website definition, which included examples like insulting remarks about an employee's views or private life.
Shortly after, the website changed. The list of examples was removed.
The lawyers eventually stopped replying to Felix's emails. He felt tricked.
When he contacted the Max Planck Society's central investigations unit in 2022, they said they would need to forward his report to his home institute or receive a revised version. Felix feared this would expose victims and witnesses. When he objected, they closed the investigation.
A Pattern Across Institutes
The Dresden case isn't isolated.
In 2018, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics accused director Guinevere Kauffmann of bullying and racist remarks. She remains at the institute.
That same year, Tania Singer, a director studying empathy at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, faced credible allegations of creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. She stepped down from management but continues her research.
In 2021, Nicole Boivin was removed as director after allegations of bullying and plagiarism. A court reinstated her. She was removed again. She's still employed as a research group leader.
A 2019 survey across all 84 Max Planck institutes found nearly one in five respondents had experienced bullying.
Thomas Sattelberger, a former German lawmaker, has demanded accountability through parliamentary requests. The issue reached Germany's federal court of audit in 2024. They issued a damning finding: the Max Planck Society does not have a proper supervisory body. The president essentially supervises his own actions.
"The standard of science is being increasingly compromised by these scandals," Sattelberger said. "Top scientists are leaving the country."
The Scientists Who Left
More than half the young scientists DW interviewed left academic research, citing abusive behavior or toxic environments.
Felix completed a second PhD elsewhere, graduating with the highest mark possible. Gabriel moved to South Korea, one of the few from the investigation still in academia.
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→It took Gabriel more than a year to stop dreaming about it.
He's worked with aggressive scientists since. He doesn't mind environments where people fight for their ideas. That can be productive.
"But he was not fighting the science," Gabriel said. "He was fighting the person. He was humiliating me."
Confronted with Gabriel's specific allegations, the Max Planck Society said Rost "cannot confirm that he made the statements." They refused to comment on anonymous allegations.
The society said it takes all reports seriously and has implemented mandatory training for senior scientists and established a central investigations unit. They emphasize that not every conflict constitutes bullying under German legal definitions.
But for researchers like Aubrey, who still feels stress in her body when she thinks about it, the system protects directors better than it protects the young scientists who work for them.
Sources
- Primary Investigation: Deutsche Welle Documentary: How Germany's Elite Research Institution Fails Young Scientists (March 2025)
- Additional Context:
- Max Planck Society Overview (Wikipedia)
- Empathy Expert Resigns After Bullying Report (Science, 2018)
- Star Scientist Allegedly Harassed Colleagues (BuzzFeed News, 2018)
Fact Check: Claim-by-Claim Verification Verified
Limits and uncertainties
The investigation by Deutsche Welle and Der Spiegel appears credible and is independently confirmed by Wikipedia's recent update (as of April 2025), documenting systemic failures in accountability at Max Planck institutes. The central claims about widespread bullying, specific cases (Singer, Kauffmann, Boivin), and the power imbalance affecting young scientists are well-supported by multiple sources. The narrative reliance on testimony from named and anonymous researchers is appropriate for investigative journalism but means specific quotes depend on the accuracy of the DW/Spiegel reporting.
Bottom line
The article accurately documents a credible investigation into misconduct at Max Planck institutes with strong institutional support (confirmed bullying cases, structural accountability failures documented by German federal audit in 2024). The core journalistic claims are supported, though the full investigation should be consulted for specific details about individual researchers and statistical claims.
Fact-checked by Perplexity Sonar Pro on 2026-02-08
