The common goal of all projects is to elucidate fundamental principles governing epithelial tissue mechanobiology and their relevance for tissue function and dysfunction. The projects are inspired by pressing research questions in the field of life sciences (denoted as hypotheses in the respective project descriptions). Each project is co-supervised by an interdisciplinary team consisting of a lead supervisor, a cross-disciplinary co-supervisor and, in some instances, a junior supervisor.
Modeling the 3D shaping of epithelial tissue: The effect of the mechanical microenvironment
Regulation of the epithelial-endothelial signaling interface by shear stress and substrate stiffness
Natural and synthetic hybrid hydrogels to study the effect of mechanical anisotropy on cell behavior and guidance
Mechanobiological challenges related to hydrogel-based bioprinting technology for manufacturing novel 3D cell culture models
Magnetic micromanipulators for probing local rheological properties of scaffolds and vital 3D tissue constructs