Photonics for studying the brain
We build open and sharable bioimaging instrumentation
Seeing is believing and thus, optical imaging techniques are extremely useful to study brain structure and function. We work on a wide range of projects aimed at providing the neuroscience community with better imaging instrumentation: These range from the mesoSPIM initiative – open-source light-sheet microscopes for imaging cleared tissue to novel multi-immersion microscope objectives that take take inspiration from scallops and astronomical telescopes.
Linking circuits and behavior in the zebrafish brain
We strive to understand how neuronal circuits give rise to behavior, especially regarding spatial orientation
Among the problems that animal brains must solve, a key question is how they encode internal representations of their own spatial location as well as that of other animals? How is this information then used to shape behaviors such as navigation and social interactions? Using a combination of behavior tracking, whole-brain functional imaging as well as correlative light- and electron microscopy, we aim to better understand how circuits for spatial orientation work.
Imaging cleared tissue at scale
A key research direction is the development of advanced instrumentation to image cleared tissue samples
We work on expanding the growing familiy of mesoSPIM – open-source light-sheet microscopes for imaging cleared tissue to support imaging projects addressing questions in neuroscience and developmental biology in all kinds of specimen ranging from human tissue to samples from non-model organisms.
Recording animal behavior at the speed of life
We develop optical and computational behavior tracking techniques
Studying animal behavior in detail provides an unique window into the richness of what kind of motor outputs brains can create. We work on open and sharable high-speed behavior tracking techniques for aquatic and terrestrial animals.
Our team
Fabian Voigt
You?
Now hiring!
Please reach out if you’re interesting in Postdoctoral positions, PhD, MSc & BSc projects at the interface of photonics and neuroscience!
Current PhD openings within the IMPRS „Physics from Light to Life“: