This project dealt with the development of a modular synthesis that allows access to a wide range of catalysts with properties tailored to the needs of the reactions to be catalyzed. The synthesis makes it possible to construct various N-heteroacyclic and N-heterocyclic carbene ligands with a wide range of electronic and steric properties directly at the metal center.
This project investigates neural mechanisms that play an important role in visual perceptual learning (VPL) when processing task-relevant and task-irrelevant visual information. Of particular interest here is how mechanisms of VPL change from childhood to adulthood and how the occurrence of VPL can be supported in different age groups.
An exciting program highlights the intersection of brain research, supercomputing, and artificial intelligence How similar are the human brain and artificial intelligence, and what can each learn from the other? What role do supercomputers play in developing modern...
Non-electric actuators offer a promising alternative for sustainable and remote operations. My research focuses on the development of thermal micro-actuators based on thermomagnetic thin films, which harness the intrinsic material property of magnetization loss near the Curie temperature to achieve controlled mechanical motion. Unlike conventional actuators that rely on electrical stimulation, these devices operate by thermal triggering, eliminating the need for continuous electrical input and thereby reducing power consumption.
This project investigates how sulfur-containing amino acids regulate tRNA thiolation in endothelial cells, thereby controlling protein translation during vessel growth. Mapping the human endothelial tRNA thio-epitranscriptome will uncover novel translational control mechanisms and lay the foundation for potential therapeutic strategies targeting pathological angiogenesis.
This project investigates the mutualism between Vachellia trees and Pseudomyrmex ants, focusing on their role in wound care. Using chemical ecology, proteomics, microbiology, and behavioral experiments, we plan to identify relevant wound healing compounds as well as the evolutionary mechanisms that enabled inter-kingdom wound care. This research expands on our concept of the social immune system by expanding it towards the ants’ host in this unique relationship.
This project investigates how mechanisms of learning and brain plasticity differ between young and older adults using Visual Perceptual Learning (VPL) as a model. VPL refers to an improvement in a visual skill with repeated visual experience or training. VPL will be studied using behavioral training protocols combined with techniques such as eye-tracking, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).
This project aims to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying vision recovery through visual perceptual learning in patients treated for congenital blindness. Led by Dr. Sebastian Frank, Prof. Dr. Brigitte Röder and Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. mult. Eberhart Zrenner, in collaboration with the LV Prasad Eye Institute, the study uses MRS and EEG to assess changes in excitation and inhibition. The goal is to bridge neuroscience, psychology, and ophthalmology to improve rehabilitation strategies, deepen a comprehensive understanding of visual plasticity, and advance treatments for visual impairments.
This project, led by Jun.-Prof. Dr. Anna Stöckl and Prof. Dr. Axel Meyer (University of Konstanz), investigates how moths adapt to artificial light at night. By combining genomics, neuroanatomy and behavioral studies, the team aims to elucidate the mechanisms of sensory plasticity during metamorphosis. Using transcriptomics, epigenetics, and behavioral analysis, the research will investigate how caterpillar light exposure affects adult moths. The results will provide critical insights into animal adaptation to human-induced environmental change and shape future ecological and evolutionary studies.
