This project seeks to advance rare disease classification using deep neural networks by addressing key challenges such as limited data and high heterogeneity. We will assess existing models and their representations, investigating how technical variations in medical data affect their characteristics.
We aim to develop artificial neural networks with brain-inspired circuits. Like in the brain, artificial neurons and synapses are built with novel memristors, arranged in a crossbar array. By combining these with ultra-fast photonics, we seek to improve signal processing and matrix-vector multiplications to address limitations from state-of-the-art architectures. This approach aims to advance computing solutions by reducing energy consumption, computational time, and system complexity.
My doctoral project focuses on identifying light-sensitive proteins called photoreceptors in the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. I aim to answer how these receptors regulate the inner biological clock known as the circadian rhythm. My major focus is to determine the properties of an unknown red light-sensitive photoreceptor and how this receptor regulates the clock. These insights can be used to understand how plants, in general, process light information.
This project focuses on the distribution of deep-sea macrofauna (animals between 0.3 mm – 5 cm) in the deep Arctic Ocean across temporal and spatial scales. I will test the hypothesis if environmental factors like ocean warming and ice retreat will affect community composition. In addition, I will study the diversity, distribution, and connectivity of isopods as they comprise an abundant and diverse group of the macrofauna but are understudied in the Central Arctic. They are “brooders” – meaning they hatch their young in a brood pouch (imagine a tiny kangaroo) and therefore they usually do not disperse as far as animals with free-swimming larvae.
3D printing at the nanoscale is an established technology. However, for certain applications it is still considered prohibitively slow. Conventionally, laser beam pulses illuminate one volume element after another in a light-sensitive ink, building up the desired object. In this project, each laser pulse is holographically shaped and illuminates a large number of voxels in parallel. This technique promises orders of magnitude faster printing and shall be demonstrated for complex 3D structures.
Polar molecules enable the simulation of complex spin models and condensed matter phenomena due to their tunable long-range interactions. This project aims to investigate the transition from a Bose-Einstein condensate of tetratomic molecules to a diatomic p-wave superfluid, referred to as BEC-BCS crossover. The superfluid is of special interest as it is expected to host Majorana zero modes—quasi-particles ideal for fault-tolerant topological quantum computing.
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.
Helicenes are a group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with screw-shaped structures that give rise to characteristic optical and optoelectronic properties. Both expansion of the helical structure and its enrichment with boron have been proved to enhance these properties, enabling multiple applications, for example in OLEDs and OFETs. This project focuses on the synthesis of helicenes integrating both features as potential new materials for organic electronics and fundamental studies.
Earth's magnetic field guides migratory birds over vast distances. Despite decades of research, the mechanisms behind avian magnetosensitivity remain unclear. Recent studies suggest cryptochromes play a role, but proving this is challenging. Our project explores whether rhodopsins, previously overlooked, also contribute. We aim to understand these photoreceptors at a molecular level and enable behavioural experiments with transgenic birds.
Certain ant species exhibit wound care and rescue behaviours towards injured nestmates, thereby enhancing their survival and sustaining the colony's workforce. Despite these benefits, it remains unclear how ecological and evolutionary factors have shaped these social behaviours. By using interdisciplinary methods from behaviour and theoretical biology, we aim to elucidate the causes and consequences underlying the evolution of wound care and rescue behaviours.
