Dr. Mayinger grew up in Bavaria, in the South of Germany, in an area close to mountains and lakes. He earned his PhD in Human Biology at the Ludwig Maximilian's University of Munich, which was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Cell Biology at UCLA, Los Angeles. After his return to Germany, Dr. Mayinger became a research group leader at the University of Heidelberg to study membrane transport processes in human cells and he moved with his research group to OHSU in 2003.

In addition to his research interests, Dr. Mayinger has a strong interest in mentoring and teaching at both graduate and undergraduate levels. In 2014, he became part of the team responsible for creating a novel learner-centered and competency-based undergraduate medical curriculum at OHSU and he is now directing several basic science threads across the preclinical blocks.

In 2018, Dr. Mayinger joined the Wy’east post-baccalaureate program as faculty lead to develop and implement an intensive foundational science curriculum that is key for the conditional admission of Wy'east scholars to OHSU. Dr. Mayinger is very enthusiastic about the opportunities and support that NNACOE provides for American Indian and Alaskan Native students, and he is passionate about helping the Wy'east scholars get on track for Medical School.

In his free time, Dr. Mayinger likes traveling and exploring the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon backcountry reminds him of his Southern German roots and he likes to visit the local forests and mountains. But he also enjoys the Portland urban environment and food scene.