Department of
Evolutionary Developmental Genetics

Head development & evolution

We seek to understand the formation of the insect head from pattern formation to morphogenesis. These data provide insights into some long standing zoological question concerning the arthropod head and its evolution.
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Brain development & evolution

We want to identify the cellular and genetic mechanisms that underly the evolution of the astonishing diversity of insect brains. Further, we identify the genetic signals specifying neural stem cells of the brain. We focus on the central complex as model.
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Insect functional genomics

We expand the power of our model system by developing novel tools. Transgenic tools and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing allow a deeper analysis of gene function. The genome wide iBeetle RNAi screen reveals novel gene functions.
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