Prof. Dr. Bettina Keller, who was born in 1980, studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe and ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich). She earned her doctorate in 2009 from the University of Zurich. She then worked as a visiting researcher at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Freie Universität, where she has been a junior professor of theoretical chemistry at the Department of Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy since 2013. Her main fields of research are the dynamics of large biomolecules, molecular dynamic simulations, and stochastic processes.

The Junge Akademie claims to be the first academy for young scholars worldwide. It provides interdisciplinary and socially relevant spaces for outstanding young researchers from German-speaking countries. The basic requirements for membership are an outstanding doctoral dissertation that was completed no more than three to seven years previous to selection as a member, as well as at least one more outstanding publication. Outstanding artists may also apply. The Junge Akademie has 50 members. Annually ten memberships expire, and ten new members are elected. The selections are made in alternating years by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW) and the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, in both cases in conjunction with the Junge Akademie.