Team

	Maite Aguado is interested in biodiversity, evolution and development of different groups of invertebrates. Her research currently focusses on the postembryonic development of Syllidae, a particularly abundant group of annelids. She also integrates gene expression information with morphological data to study sexual reproduction and regeneration of syllids.
	Tim Beißbarth develops bioinformatics methods to statistically analyze and understand high-dimensional omics data, such as genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. He applies methods from the area of machine learning and statistical computing to facilitate an integrative analysis and meaningful interpretation of different complex data types.
	Gregor Bucher is interested in the evolution of anterior pattern formation and the diversification of the brain. Further, he works on RNAi in pest control. His lab uses the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum as model system and applies methods, such as genome wide RNAi screening, binary expression systems, single cell sequencing and genome editing to answer his questions.
	Anne-Christin Hauschild uses machine learning approaches to analyze clinical, imaging and omics datasets for disease stratification and prediction. She establishes systems biology algorithms and employs network analyses to systematically uncover molecular mechanisms and pathways.
	Daniel J. Jackson is interested in the molecular mechanisms of molluscan shell formation and the way in which these processes evolved. His efforts are focused on the identification of the complete set of biomineralizing effector genes in the pulmonate gastropod Lymnaea stagnalis, and on identifying the gene regulatory and cellular communication events that coordinate the initiation of shell formation in the early snail embryo. To this end his team is developing methods to characterize gene function in this nontraditional model organism.
	Peter Lenart studies how the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton organizes oocytes and early embryos; how cytoskeletal elements position centrosomes, nucleus, the division plane and stored mRNAs in these exceptionally large cells, and how this leads to the establishment of the primary animal-vegetal polarity. The lab uses marine model systems including the starfish, Patiria miniata and the jellyfish, Clytia hemisphaerica that are exceptionally suited for high-resolution live cell microscopy assays, which are frequently combined in his lab with quantitative image analysis and biophysical modeling to reveal conserved principles of cellular organization.
	Marieke Oudelaar studies the 3D organization of the genome in the nucleus and how regulatory elements function within this context to control gene expression. To this end, her lab develops high-resolution Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C) techniques, which they use in combination with other genomic techniques, genetic perturbations, and computational approaches. They focus on the interplay between genome organization and regulation during differentiation and development, and how perturbations in these processes contribute to disease.
	Nico Posnien studies mechanistic links between genetic variation and morphological diversity. The size and shape of a complex organ is defined during its development by the action of gene regulatory networks, which ensure the tightly controlled expression of developmental genes. Changes in the function and regulation of those genes during development account for variation in various morphological traits. To identify the molecular changes underlying morphological evolution in flies, beetles and spiders, his group combines genomics, quantitative genetics, developmental genetics and geometric morphometrics approaches.
	Jochen Rink and his team are fascinated by tissue formation. What determines shape, size and proportions of developing tissues? How is the balance set between addition of new cells and removal of old ones? Or during regeneration, how can the remaining tissue rebuild exactly the body parts that have been lost due to injury? He addresses these questions in a fascinating new model system with a long lab history, planarian flatworms.

	Kevin Castillo Mendieta is joining the Bucher lab: Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth; growing up there sparked my fascination with life and the vast diversity of organisms shaped by ongoing evolutionary processes. To better understand these microevolutionary dynamics, my project investigates the diversification of the anterior gene regulatory network (aGRN) across different strains of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Previous observations revealed varied developmental responses among these strains when using identical RNAi concentrations to knock down aGRN genes. In this project, I will compare the diverging architecture and dynamics of the network and develop a tool for the spatial restriction of RNAi.
	Mariam Abass is joining the Posnien lab: I am interested in studying how gene-environment interactions and developmental mechanisms generate phenotypic variation, and how selection acts on these sources of variation to drive trait evolution. My project is focused on identifying how the evolution of gene regulatory networks shapes exaggerated head and mandibular horn development in the darkling beetle, Gnatocerus cornutus. My project will use male and female G. cornutus, and the closely related species, Tribolium castaneum to compare "horn" vs "no-horn" phenotypes. I aim to use snRNA-seq, snATAC-seq, nano-CT imaging, and RNAi knockdown to study the genomic and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of exaggerated head traits in G. cornutus males.
	Simon Plösch is joining the Hauschild Group: I am interested in genomics and evolution, and in how computational approaches can help us investigate the relationship between them. My project focuses on developing machine learning models for cross-species comparative genomic analysis. I will enhance and apply species-agnostic transfer learning models to compare Wnt signalling-related cell types and developmental stages across insect species. Starting with the extensive genomic and transcriptomic resources available for Drosophila melanogaster, I will validate the models before extending them to more distantly related insects and other protostomes. By transferring information between species, my project aims to explore evolutionary relationships in genomic data and advance computational approaches for comparative research.
	Sarah Assaf is joining the Lenart lab: I have previously worked in evo-devo and genetics, which made me interested in how molecular networks guide development from cells to entire organisms. In this project, I aim to study the evolutionary conserved Wnt switch during gastrulation of the cnidarian jellyfish Clytia hemisphaerica. To do so, I will be using quantitative high resolution imaging to localise downstream effectors by single molecule RNA FISH (WMISH), and Wnt signaling dynamics in vivo. These results will be integrated to cell shape changes in a 3D virtual embryo model. Data will be complemented with single cell RNA-seq on specific developmental stages.
	Jakob Demmer is joining the Beißbarth Group: I am interested in how computational approaches can help us understand the evolution of developmental gene regulatory networks. My project focuses on developing methods to reconstruct and compare regulatory networks across conventional and emerging model organisms. I will integrate gene expression with regulatory, temporal, and perturbation data using probabilistic network models to improve the identification of regulatory interactions. A particular focus will be anterior-posterior patterning and Wnt signalling in Tribolium castaneum and other GönomiX model systems. By comparing regulatory networks across species, I aim to identify conserved and divergent mechanisms of developmental regulation and develop interpretable models that can guide experimental investigation.
	Sibora Teta is joining the Bucher lab: I am interested in dissecting the diversification of gene regulatory networks that orchestrate spatial information, in insects. I aim to visualize the Wnt signalling gradient during anterior-posterior axis formation in Tribolium castaneum. Also, I will identify direct Wnt targets, anterior-posterior specific genes and analyse Wnt-responsive reporter lines. Ultimately, this project will contribute to cross-species comparison of the Wnt signalling gradient in animal development.
	Varuni Mishra is joining the Aguado lab: I am interested in understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying regeneration, particularly in annelids, which display a wide range of regenerative abilities and reproductive strategies. Using the annelid Syllis malaquini, I will investigate the role of the Wnt signalling pathway in anterior and posterior regeneration, as well as in normal tissue maintenance (homeostasis). I aim to determine whether there is an expression gradient along the body axis and which Wnt genes are involved at different stages of regeneration. This project will help identify evolutionary changes in the mechanisms of regeneration in annelids and provide a basis for comparison with other species.
	Isabella Schindelhauer is joining the Bucher lab: I am fascinated by how animal genomes enable all the different cell types of an organism to develop robustly from a single DNA code. The genomic activity of a cell is limited to cell type-specific genes, a restriction that is thought to be based on differential chromatin features established throughout development. I am interested in studying this process in Tribolium castaneum by comparing chromatin conformation at different embryonic stages using 3C-based techniques and functionally analyzing chromatin architectural proteins with RNAi. One of the earliest fate-constraining signals during embryogenesis defines the anterior-posterior axis through a gene regulatory network that is conserved in most bilaterians, including T. castaneum. The use of targeted 3C approaches to study genomic regions involved in this process offers a unique opportunity to investigate how a morphogenic signal is translated into distinct cell fates at the chromatin level. Integrated with data from my colleagues, this could provide new insights into the mechanistic logic of developmental gene regulation.

Johnny Davila-Sandoval is joining the Bucher lab: I am broadly interested in body plan formation, and molecular mechanisms underlying the centralization of nervous systems in bilaterians. Previously, I did my Ph.D. at Clark University (USA) with Prof. Néva Meyer, where I unveiled a potentially conserved gene hierarchy of FoxQ2-Wnt signaling underlying brain specification in the annelid Capitella teleta. For GönomiX, I am directly testing evolutionary hypothesis about conservation of GRNs in head evolution by examining multiple protostome taxa and a cnidarian outgroup using comparative transcriptomics in both, development and regeneration.

	Mette Handberg-Thorsager studies how a complex organism develops from a single cell. She uses the embryo of the ragworm Platynereis dumerilii to understand the interplay between molecular and cellular-physical mechanisms acting during spiralian development. She combines mRNA injections, whole-embryo live-imaging, single cell sequencing and whole mount in situ hybridization to capture the dynamics and molecular players of development. Her specific aim is to shed light onto the contribution of cell division patterns and the differentiation path of a cell to the formation of spiralian cell types and tissues.
	Martin Haubrock studies gene regulation in eukaryotes. He develops methods to predict transcription factor binding sites, to analyze transcriptional networks and to model gene regulatory networks. To this end, he employs machine learning methods to analyze and interpret multi-omics data, such as DNA hypersensitivity assays, ChIP-seq and nucleosome positioning data.
	Jason Pellettieri studies the biology of planarian flatworms in the Rink Department. He is interested in how these animals are able to regenerate lost body parts in just a few weeks, while maintaining their anatomical scale, proportion, and patterning, as well as the role and regulation of adult stem cells in this process.
	Vera Terblanche Hunnekuhl is interested in the insect brain and ventral nervous system, with a focus on the genetic control of neurosecretory cell type specification. Her work focusses on the beetle Tribolium castaneum. However, with a strong interest in diverging developmental patterns, Vera has previously worked in a range of non-traditional model systems including annelids, amphipod crustaceans and centipedes. She combines genetic cell labelling techniques with analysis of gene function using RNAi, CRISPR-Cas9 and further molecular techniques.
	Carola Städele studies the sensory neurophysiology of host-seeking and host-preference in ticks. She combines neuroanatomy, electrophysiology, behavioral neuroscience and proteomics to investigate how ticks sense, process, and respond to environmental cues to eventually bridge the gap between fundamental neuroscience and applied research.
	Ernst Wimmer studies a variety of developmental processes, their molecular basis, and their evolutionary conservation or diversification. In addition, he uses developmental genes and molecular biology tools to develop novel approaches to insect pest management. As animal model systems he uses a series of arthropods (e.g. insects, crustaceans).

	Kaatje Knüwer is joining the Wimmer Lab: More content coming soon.
	Kuo Li-Chung is joining the Posnien lab: More content coming soon.
	Shreya Salunkhe is joining the Terblanche lab as a PhD student in the IMPRS-GS: I previously worked on the comparative genomics and phylogenomics of Acari, focusing on the phylogenetic position and genome evolution of Opilioacaridae. My work involved generating a de novo genome assembly and investigating genome evolution through comparative genomic and synteny analyses. My current research focuses on understanding the transcriptional control of female fertility and hormonal signalling. To study transcription factor function, I combine cell labelling and gene knockdown approaches with genome-wide methods, including mRNA-seq and CUT&RUN, to identify target genes and understand their role in regulating female fertility.
	Beke Lohmann is joining the Huisken lab: I investigate the development of the nervous system in the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii, focusing on the cellular and embryonic mechanisms underlying neurogenesis. To capture these dynamic processes, I use the Flamingo light sheet microscopes for long-term, high-resolution live imaging. My research aims to understand how early neurons emerge, how they contribute to the developing nervous system, and how their cellular origins relate to embryonic development. By integrating cell lineage analysis with live imaging, I seek to gain further insights into spiralian neurogenesis and the mechanisms shaping early larval morphology and behaviour.

Dr. Sarah Bluhm & Julia Kiefer E-Mail: goenomix[at]uni-goettingen.de Phone: +49-(0)551-39-25434