Michael Lässig studied physics in Munich, Rome, and Santa Barbara. He obtained his PhD in Theoretical Physics from University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1991. He has worked extensively on equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical physics, and in the last ten years primarily on statistical biophysics and molecular evolution.

He holds his current position as Professor of Physics at University of Cologne since 1999. He is Speaker of the Collaborative Research Center Predictability in Evolution since 2018.

Before that he was Speaker of the Collaborative Research Center Molecular Basis of Evolutionary Innovations from 2007-2017.