Michael Kramer graduated Physics in Bonn, and obtained a PhD at the University of Bonn in 1995. After being a staff astronomer at MPIfR, Otto-Hahn fellow at UC Berkeley, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor at the University of Manchester, in 2009 he was appointed as Director at MPIfR. His focus of research is on experimental tests of gravity. He won a number of awards, such as ERC Advanced and Synergy Grants, the Akademiepreis der Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, the Herschel Medal and (with the EHT Collaboration), the Breaktrough-Prize in Fundamental Physics.