Prof. Dr. Ralf Stanewsky


University of Münster
Institute of Neuro- and Behavioural Biology
Badestraße 9
D-48149 Münster
                                                                               
Phone: +49 251 83 21029
Email: stanewsky(at)uni-muenster.de

Research Areas

  • Timing of locomotor activity and sleep in Drosophila melanogaster
  • Genetic and molecular bases of the circadian clock in Drosophila melanogaster
  • Circadian clock synchronisation by the daily natural environmental cycles of light and temperature
  • See also: http://stanewsky.uni-muenster.de/research

Research Methods

  • Classical and molecular genetics involving binary expression system (Gal4, Gal80, lexA) to interrogate circadian clock neuronal network function
  • CRISPR to induce site directed mutations in endogenous genes controlling fly behaviour
  • Real-time recordings of rhythmic gene expression using automated bioluminescence recordings and imaging
  • Confocal microscopy to analyse spatial and temporal expression of clock proteins in the adult fly brain
  • Quantitative methods to determine rhythmic locomotor activity and sleep (beam breaking and video-tracking technologies)
  • Determining neuronal activity using genetically encoded Ca2+ sensors

Selected Publications

R.E.F. Harper, P. Dayan, J.T. Albert, R. Stanewsky (2016). Sensory conflict disrupts activity of the Drosophila circadian network. Cell Rep 17:1711-1718

E. Buhl, A. Bradlaugh, M. Ogueta, K-F. Chen, R. Stanewsky, J.J.L. Hodge (2016). Quasimodo mediates daily and acute light effects on Drosophila clock neuron excitability. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 113:13486-13491.

C. Chen, E. Buhl, M. Xu, V. Croset, J.S. Rees, K.S. Lilley, R. Benton, J.J. Hodge, R. Stanewsky (2015). Drosophila Ionotropic Receptor 25a mediates circadian clock resetting by temperature. Nature 527:516-520.

A. Simoni, W. Wolfgang, MP Topping, RG Kavlie, R. Stanewsky, and J. Albert (2014). A mechanosensory pathway to the Drosophila circadian clock. Science 343:525-528.

C. Gentile, H. Sehadova, A. Simoni, C. Chen, and R.Stanewsky (2013). Cryptochrome antagonizes synchronization of Drosophila’s circadian clock to temperature cycles. Current Biology 23: 185-195.

Academic CV

Since 2016 Professor at the Institute for Neuro and Behavioural Biology, WWU Münster, Germany
2013-2016 Professor of Neurogenetics and Biological Timing, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
2006-2013 Professor and Chair of Neurobiology. School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, UK
2002-2006 DFG Heisenberg Fellowship and Associate Professor (‘Privatdozent’) at University of Regensburg
2002 Habilitation and Venia legendi in Zoology
1998 - 2002 Group Leader at the Department of Zoology University of Regensburg
1994 - 1998 Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Biology, Brandeis University, USA
1990 - 1994 PhD Thesis at the Department for Developmental Biology, University of Cologne
1989 - 1990 Diploma thesis in Biology at the Department of Developmental Biology, University of Cologne