Junior professorship Brain Genomics
The professorship is intended to strengthen the cooperation between the Research Center Jülich and the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn.The Junior-Professorship in Brain Genomics was established at INM-1 as a joint appointment with the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn.
Dr. Andreas Forstner was appointed to the junior professorship on 01.11.2020. The focus of his scientific work is the integrative analysis of genomic and other omics data with data on the structure and function of the human brain. This approach is used to investigate the association between genomic variability and interindividual differences in human brain structure and function. Innovative molecular methods and technologies - which cover the whole spectrum of genomic and genomic-functional variability - are used to generate the omics data. These data are combined with the latest cytoarchitectural data, and with data from imaging atlases (e.g., JuBrain). A further aim of the integrative analytic approach is to facilitate the precise characterization of the underlying biological mechanisms. In addition, innovative analytic strategies (e.g., machine learning) are continuously implemented and applied to the collected data sets in cooperation with other research groups. A central task is the translation of findings into clinical practice.
The Brain Genomics Lab is characterized by extensive scientific networking, and is integrated in numerous national and international research consortia (e.g., DFG FOR 2107, Social Phobia Research, ENIGMA, Psychiatric Genomics Consortium).