PhD position - Avian Cerebral Organoids

Institute: Department of Biology

Subject areas/Research fields: Cerebral Organoids, Brain Development, iPSCs.

Keywords: Neuroscience, Developmental Biology, Cell Biology

Name of supervisor: Prof. Dr David Keays

Funding: LSM-CSC/ DAAD-GSSP (LSM)

Project title: Avian Cerebral Organoids

Project description: An opportunity exists for a driven and passionate neuroscientist to undertake a PhD under the supervision of Professor David Keays on avian cerebral organoids. This joint project will exploit the Keays lab’s expertise in Avian biology and experience in self organising neural tissue. The project will aim to generate a library of avian iPSC and ES cells for the generation of three dimensional neuronal cultures. Preliminary data looks very promising. The latter will then be employed to interrogate Avian specific aspects of neurodevelopment, exploiting CRISP-Cas9 genome editing, single cell sequencing, and histological methods. Specifically, we are interested in exploring the shape and type of neuronal progenitors, the modular nature of the avian brain, and the evolution of white matter tracts.

For further information, please contact: David Keays, keays@bio.lmu.de

Research group website: keayslab.org

Apply: Please send your application through the online portal of the Graduate School Life Science Munich (LSM) by 09-11-2025.