Studienarbeiten

This is a collaborative project between The Interface Group of the Institute of Physiology and The Structural and Functional Imaging Group of the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Zurich. The main motivation of the project is to understand the interaction of various mitochondria using live cell imaging of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) (See Figure 1).

The student will work within a team of engineers and biologists to create a mathematical model that governs single mitochondria electrical charge dynamics and use this model in order to account for the observed mitochondrial membrane potential interactions in a kidney tubular cell. The observed fluctuations within the mitochondrial network of the cell pose a challenging and yet unexplained phenomenon, for which mathematical modeling will bring new insights.

We are looking for students with a background in engineering / natural sciences who are interested in interdisciplinary work, mathematical modeling and biology or physiology. This project is offered as a master thesis project, but applications for semester theses within its framework will also be considered.