Harmansa Group Our new preprint is online – ‘Mechanical regulation of cuboidal-to-squamous epithelial transition in the Drosophila developing wing’ 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 officially joined LSI in February 2024 and we will be 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. Open project funded by the SWBio DTP studentships! ‘How to make an eye – Mechanics of optic cup formation across species‘ Deadline – 11th of December 2024 This PhD project will investigate how basement membrane (BM) structure and growth generate stresses that shape early vertebrate eye development, focusing on the optic cup formation in zebrafish and chicken embryos. The BM, a collagen-rich extracellular matrix, provides rigidity to epithelial tissues and plays a critical role in their morphogenesis. Differences in BM dynamics may underlie species-specific mechanisms of optic cup invagination, which proceeds quickly in zebrafish but slowly in chickens. Through interdisciplinary methods—genetics, super-resolution imaging, biophysics, and computational modelling—this project aims to uncover how BM mechanics impacts stress patterns and tissue bending in eye development, offering valuable training at the interface of biology and biophysics. This is a collaborative project is base in our group at the interdisciplinary Living Systems Institute. The successful student will work in close collaboration with Prof. Steffen Scholpp (LSI, studies in zebrafish) and with Prof. Andrew Quantock (School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff, work in chicken).Furthermore, there will be opportunities to work with Dr. David Richards (LSI) to establish a data-informed model of optic cup invagination and with Dr. Ben Sherlock (Department of Physics Exeter) for polarized non-linear imaging techniques. Find the full advert here! Open studentship via the LSI PhD Programme in Complex Living Systems! ‘How to make an eye – Biophysics of the basement membrane during early vertebrate eye development‘ Deadline – 10th of January 2025 Are you interested in how mechanical forces shape the developing vertebrate eye? This project will explore how basement membrane structure and tissue growth generate stresses that mechanically guide early vertebrate eye morphogenesis. This interdisciplinary PhD offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of developmental biology, biophysics and computational modelling. You will use a combination of genetics (transgenesis in zebrafish), advanced high-resolution imaging, quantitative biophysical methods (AFM, laser ablation), and genetic perturbations, while collaborating with theorists to develop data-informed simulation frameworks. This project offers an excellent training opportunity in a wide range of techniques bridging biology, physics, and mechanics. Apply here! 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)