Denes Hnisz is a Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany. A native of Hungary, he was trained in biochemistry at the ELTE University of Budapest, in genetics and microbiology at the University of Vienna, and as a postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge MA. The mission of his laboratory it to map transcriptional regulatory circuits that define cell identity and function, using a combination of genomic, imaging, biochemical, and computational tools. Some recent highlights include the discovery of DNA elements, called super-enhancers, that are critical nodes in the regulatory circuits of human cells; insights into the roles of 3D genome organization in gene activity; and the discovery of liquid-like proteinaceous droplets called transcriptional condensates formed by transcriptional regulators. The ultimate goal is to use the insights to selectively manipulate transcriptional circuits, and through doing so, control the functions of cell types, cell type composition, and organismal function. Since 2019, he has been included among the top 1% Highly Cited Researchers by the Web of Science. He is an inventor of several international patents and a scientific co-founder and advisor to Nuage Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain.