Research Interests

Development of vertebrate cranial placodes

Research Area

Embryonic development of cranial sense organs in amphibians; evolutionary origin and diversification of cranial sense organs; the evolution of developmental mechanisms. We are interested in the development and evolution of the vertebrate nervous system and sense organs. One major focus of our research are cranial placodes, the precursors of most ganglia and sense organs in the vertebrate head. We mainly use the clawed toad Xenopus laevis as a model organism to study their development. In addition, we try to elucidate evolutionary origins and modifications of cranial sense organs by comparison with other chordates. We also pursue broader questions of sensory development and evolution as well as more general theoretical problems concerning the evolution of developmental processes.

Current Members

Schlosser, Gerhard (Principal Investigator/Director) Contact
Ahrens, Katja (Graduate Student)

Alumni

Maharana, Santosh Kumar (Post-doc)

Contact

Institution: National University of Ireland

Address:
Zoology Dept
School of Natural Sciences,
National University of Ireland
University Road
Galway
Ireland

Web Page: https://nuigalway.ie/remedi/research-groups/schlossergroup/