Our Graduate Research Students

Optimization of an N-type calcium channel blocker for a general neuroprotection approach based on a neuron specific calcium ion influx reduction. Project summary: Dysregulation of the intracellular calcium homeostasis seems to play an important role in neuronal cell damage and cell death observed in several neurodegenerative disorders, as for example Alzheimer's disease (AD) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In particular, increased …

Research Project Title: The role of attention in predictive visual motion processing Research Project Summary: Neural transmission in the brain causes processing delays. This is problematic when visually localizing moving objects, One way the brain might compensate for such delays is through prediction. This project will combine psychophysics, time-resolved EEG decoding, and functional MRI approaches to study predictive mechanisms in the human visual cortex. …

Atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (experimental) In my PhD I am working on quantitative analysis of heterostructure interfaces with Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM). I am particularly interested in a novel technique called momentum-resolved STEM. There, hundreds of diffraction patterns are recorded every second which allows us to map fundamental material properties at atomic resolution. The aim of my project …

Compressed sensing for quantum-filtered Sodium MRI sequences Supervisors:  The University of Melbourne: A/Prof. Leigh Johnston Forschungszentrum Jülich: Prof. Dr. Jon Shah/ W.A Worthoff Home University: RWTH Aachen University Partner University: The University of Melbourne GR Student Profile: I acquired my BSc degree of Biomedical Engineering at Fudan University in China (Sep. 2012 – Jun. 2016). And I have completed my MSc degree in the joint …

Molecular mechanisms of microbe-enhanced plant performance under nitrogen limitation Nitrogen is the most abundant and essential mineral for plants. It is in nucleic acids and proteins; notably rubisco for photosynthesis. The world population is growing and available arable land is decreasing. Higher demand for crop production has come with an increased use of chemical fertilizer; of which N is the major …

Development of next generation fertilisers and their interactions with the soil/plant system Project Duration: 2019 - 2022 Supervisors:  The University of Melbourne:Prof. Ute Roessner, Prof. Uta Wille Forschungszentrum Jülich: Prof. Michelle Watt Home University: The University of Melbourne Partner University: The University of Bonn Student Profile: I have always been interested in interdisciplinary and innovative scientific topics, and so chose to study Biomedicinal Chemistry for my …

Improved Sodium Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain Project Summary: Sodium Magnetic Resonance Imaging offers complementary information to traditional proton (hydrogen) MRI. The signal available for imaging sodium is however orders of magnitude smaller than its proton MRI counterpart, therefore providing technical challenges to acquire sufficiently high-resolution images in sufficiently constrained scan times. Both the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine at FZJ …

Improving prediction of crop yield with long-term meteorological forecasts and data assimilation The prediction of crop yield can be improved by correcting model simulations with measurement data using data assimilation methods. In this project, new data types like captured by stationary and mobile cosmic ray probes, and sun-induced fluorescence will be used for this purpose. The improved quality of weather predictions …

Experiments on Human Clogging at Bottlenecks In the field of pedestrian dynamics the flow through a bottleneck is one of the most basic problems. If the incoming flow through the bottleneck exceeds the capacity a congestion occurs and the density in front of the bottleneck increases. In case of a congestion pedestrians could cooperate or compete while entering the bottleneck. The …

The role of lipids in the formation of beneficial interactions between plant roots and soil microbiota under heat stress The plant root-soil microbe interface is a major frontier with potential opportunities for addressing crop agricultural challenges, especially under abiotic stress. This study will harness specific plant growth promoting soil microbes and demonstrate their beneficial effects using the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, …

The influence of aging on the dynamics of performance monitoring and change-of-mind decisions Due to improvements in health care systems and medical care in most developed countries (such as Germany and Australia), the average life expectancy has risen well above 80 years in recent years. Aging, however, has several direct and indirect effects on cognitive functions, for example decision-making and cognitive …

The effects of renewable fertilizer on wheat root morphology Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for plant nutrition and its scarcity is one of the major restraints in agricultural crop production. Mineral rock phosphate P fertilizers, although they are poorly accessed by plants and unused residues result in run-off that pollutes the groundwater, are a finite resource still irreplaceable today. Microalgae …

Individual variability in decision-making and performance monitoring The evaluation of one’s own action errors has been shown to be dependent on the individuals’ appreciation thereof. Individual differences in the neural processing of errors can be linked to personality profiles related to the perception of errors, such as perfectionism. It is very likely, however, that the individual mind-sets and perfectionism profiles change …

Root microbe interaction to benefit cereal growth under temperature stress During my PhD I will investigate the impact of beneficial microbes on root architecture and metabolism of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon grown under non-optimal temperatures and specifically the interaction between Brachypodium distachyon and the plant growth promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense at sub-optimal temperatures. In particular, I am focusing on the effect …