Eddie Merbitz Visits Prof. Vöhringer’s Max-Planck Laboratory

Eddie from the Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany will join efforts to develop new protein force fields

Eddie Merbitz, Master’s student at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Mainz, Germany, will visit the Associated Max-Planck Laboratory for Computational Biophysical Chemistry lead by Prof. Vöhringer-Martinez until the end of January 2026.

Eddie joins for a research stay focused on a joint project developing force fields from quantum chemistry calculations and machine learning techniques.

This collaboration advances computational methods for molecular simulations, combining MPI-P expertise in deriving covalent force field parameters (Grappa) with the laboratory’s focus on predicting non bonded intermolecular interactions relevant for enzyme catalysis and protein design.

The visit strengthens ties between Max-Planck institutions in Germany and Chile, fostering international training for young researchers in frontier computational science.