The project aims to accelerate and improve the fabrication of micromaterials by 3D laser printing through the use of deep neural networks (DNNs). Physical simulations of the printing process are developed and used to train the DNNs. They can then, for example, characterize the printed structures already in the printer or pre-compensate objects in such a way that iterative characterization and optimization outside the printer can be minimized.

The research project "Optical and electronic neuromorphic systems" focuses on bio-inspired and resource-efficient concepts for neuromorphic computing. The aim is to realise these concepts in optical and electronic systems based on organic semiconductor materials and to describe their physical foundations.

Human brains and vision-based robotics require intensive computation to recognize visual pattern features in various contexts and augmentations, known as invariant pattern recognition. The hummingbird hawkmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum) similarly uses pattern features on flowers to select suitable foraging sites, with only a fraction of the ‘computational power’. Aiming to understand how they do so with such efficiency, we will use behavioural, neural, and computational methods to uncover the algorithmic basis of (invariant) pattern recognition in insect pollinators.

In a spacetime we have one time dimensions and multiple space dimensions. In our reality we experience three space-like dimensions. Now in differential geometry, nothing keeps us from considering manifolds with multiple time-like dimensions. In this project we study algebraic structures, in particular the group SO(p,q), which describe the dynamics and the geometry of so-called pseudo-Riemannian hyperbolic spaces with at least one time dimension.

Despite extensive research in personalized medicine, promising personalized therapies still fail to translate into clinical practice. In my research project, I aim to construct a pathway model that predicts the effects of potential therapies by combining mechanistic modeling and experimental approaches to meet ideal criteria for facilitating the translation of research to patients.

Single magnetic molecules can be used as building blocks to construct new artificial spin systems which are interesting for future quantum devices. We use scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) combined with electron spin resonance (ESR) to construct and investigate such spin systems on a surface. This enables the study of fundamental spin properties on the atomic scale and exploring novel magnetic phenomena in multi-spin systems.

Collaborating with the LV Prasad Eye institute, we investigate sight recovery individuals with a history of transient congenital blindness due to cataracts to unveil the neural mechanisms of sensitive periods in brain development. More specifically, we investigate higher cortical representations and whether and how they emerge if visual input arrives delayed e.g., not before mid-childhood. The present PhD project will focus on object representations and how they emerge in the interaction with other visual areas. We expect a better understanding of how early experience shapes adult brain connectivity.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has a multifactorial etiology which includes, among others, vascular dysfunction and aberrant neuroimmunity. We aim to investigate the gene ABI3 as a potential connection between these two facets of AD pathophysiology. Through transgenic murine models, and using a combination of biochemical, immunohistochemical, and in vivo imaging techniques, we will explore how the late-onset AD risk variant S209F ABI3 affects neurodegeneration, immune fitness, and vascular dynamics.

Rare genetic disorders lead to a failure to produce enough blood cells that are frequently fatal, seen most often among young children. These diseases are primarily monogenic, caused by the loss of function in a single gene. To investigate the effects of this loss of function, my project seeks to mimic it outside of the human body, specifically in human bone marrow organoids (BMOs). By studying BMOs, the aim is to identify critical factors contributing to bone marrow failure and ultimately use this information to develop new diagnostic methods.

Star clusters used to be considered to consist of stars that all formed simultaneously and with the same elemental abundances. The surprising discovery that these clusters contain multiple populations with characteristic abundance inhomogeneities remains an enigma. I will investigate whether rotational mixing is a plausible culprit, using massive emission-line stars as tracers of rapid rotation. Also, I will assess the validity of certain light elements as signatures of multiple populations.