Harmansa Group We are recruiting! PhD project supported by the LSI PhD program (details below). Application deadline 26th November 2025! Morphomechanics – Shaping Growing Tissues Morphogenesis delineates the complex process of shape generation during embryonic development. Morphogenesis is an intrinsically mechanical process where cellular activities, like contractility or growth, lead to stresses that mechanically mould tissues into their complex 3D shapes. Proper morphology is essential for organ functionality and defects in morphogenesis are linked to developmental disorders and disease. We are particularly interested in the interplay between growing epithelial tissues and their basement membranes (BMs), specialised sheet-like extracellular matrices. Like the foundation of a building, BMs acts as base for epithelial cells and their mechanical properties (such as stiffness) as well as their growth properties directly influence cell and tissue morphology. We recently demonstrated that differential growth between a tissue and its BM leads to the accumulation of growth-induced mechanical stresses that guide tissue morphology (Harmansa et.al. 2023). Using a combination of Drosophila genetics, advanced imaging techniques, quantitative biophysical tools and data-informed modelling we aim to uncover how such stresses arise during tissue growth and how they guide the mechanics of morphogenesis. We are a newly established group that joined LSI in February 2024 and we are supported by a Wellcome Career Development Award given to Stefan Harmansa. For more details on our current research, news and open positions please visit our group’s webpage. Our new preprint is online – ‘Mechanical regulation of cuboidal-to-squamous epithelial transition in the Drosophila developing wing’ We are looking for PhD students to join our growing research team. The studentship is supported by the LSI PhD program (Apply here). DEADLINE: 26th of November 2025 PhD Project – ‘Forces in the Matrix – Developmental Biophysics Across Species’ Co-supervised by Prof. Steffen Scholpp and Dr. David Richards Project summary – How do tissues bend, fold and sculpt themselves into functional organs? This central question in developmental biology lies at the heart of morphogenesis, where mechanical forces and extracellular structures work together to shape tissues. The basement membrane (BM) is a specialised extracellular matrix that not only supports epithelia but also actively drives their form. Its major structural component, Collagen IV, builds a crosslinked network essential for stability, growth and signalling. Mutations in Collagen IV compromise BM integrity, leading to developmental defects and human diseases, including eye malformations, kidney disorders and vascular pathologies. Despite this broad relevance, the mechanical role of the BM in shaping organs is still poorly understood.This PhD project will investigate how Collagen IV organisation and BM dynamics generate mechanical stress and drive morphogenesis across species. Two powerful in vivo models, the Drosophila wing disc and the zebrafish optic cup, provide complementary systems in which epithelial sheets bend into dome-like shapes. Both processes critically rely on BM mechanics, yet the underlying principles remain unclear. Building on our recent discovery that BM growth drives stress accumulation and tissue bending in the fly wing (Harmansa et al., Nat. Commun., 2024), we will test whether similar mechanisms govern vertebrate eye development.The candidate will combine cutting-edge genetics (CRISPR-Cas9), advanced live and super-resolution imaging, and biophysical techniques (atomic force microscopy, laser ablation, rheology) with theoretical modelling. This interdisciplinary approach will reveal conserved principles of BM-mediated morphogenesis, offering insights with broadimpact on collagen-related diseases and future applications in tissue engineering. Get in touch with Stefan for more details or to informally discuss the project (s.harmansa@ exeter.ac.uk). Want to join us? Are you excited by the huge diversity of shapes observed in biological systems and how they are generated? Would you like to work in an interdisciplinary environment and bridge between biology, physics and scientific computing? Then come and join our young and dynamic team in beautiful Exeter.We are always looking for innovative, passionate and motivated undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs with a strong interested in the biophysical aspects of shape generation during animal development. In addition to the official openings, we always welcome spontaneous candidatures for internship, master, Ph.D. and postdoc positions. Please get in touch with Stefan if you you would like us to host your own PhD project (e.g. LSI PhD Programme) or postdoctoral fellowship (e.g. Wellcome Early Career Award or HFSP Cross Disciplinary Fellowships). In general, you can always contact Stefan (s.harmansa@exeter.ac.uk) to inquire about general information and future openings. Alumni Jessica Jarvis (internship summer 2024) Theodore Natusch (internship summer 2024)