Claudia Gerri – Group Leader

© Portrait: Katrin Boes, MPI CBG

During my Master’s studies in Milan (Italy), I became fascinated by developmental biology, and in particular by how a single cell, the zygote, can generate different cell types, tissues and organs. I thus joined the lab of Prof. Dr. Didier Stainier, at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research (Bad Nauheim, Germany) as a PhD student. Here, I examined the role of hypoxia and the HIF pathway in regulating the crosstalk between hematopoietic stem cells, immune cells and vasculature using zebrafish embryos.  After being awarded with the Otto Hahn Medal from the Max Planck Society, I decided to investigate fundamental questions surrounding human development. For this reason, I joined the lab of Dr. Kathy Niakan at the Francis Crick Institute (London, UK). Here, I investigated the first cell fate specification event across mammals using a comparative approach, and to do so I joined forces with the Royal Veterinary College (London, UK), UZ Brussel – Center for Reproductive Medicine (Belgium), and the University of Nantes (France).

As a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, I intend to combine my experience with hypoxia signaling in vascular formation together with my interest in comparative mammalian embryology and placental development.

I enjoy taking pictures of nature, reading, and watching TV series and movies. I have a passion for musicals and the opera. I love having dinner parties with my family and friends.