Nominator's project description
| Jan Huisken has developed microscopy techniques that facilitate the capture of living cells, such as three-dimensional time-lapse images of the fruit fly Drosophila or zebrafish, in early stages of development. Images like this can reveal how developmental processes occur in the body: cell by cell, step by step, whether in the nervous system or the heart. This kind of microscopy helps us to comprehend how tissue evolves from individual cells. Apart from visualising the tiniest molecules in the cells themselves, microscopy on this scale is crucial for understanding biological processes.
Having worked for years at the intersection of biology and physics, Jan Huisken’s research can also build bridges between the life sciences, developments in IT and physics. He advocates an open science approach and supports networks for the free use of special microscopy platforms.
At the University of Göttingen, Jan Huisken’s Humboldt Professorship will reinforce the existing, internationally renowned research focus on imaging in biology. The university is already connected to several Max Planck Institutes and other research institutions in this field and also cooperates with the Nobel laureate Stefan Hell. |
