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 studentship via the LSI PhD Program! ‘How to make an eye – Biophysics of the basement membrane during early eye development‘ 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. 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)