Magdalene Schlesiger

Dr. Magdalene Schlesiger is an Emmy Noether Group Leader at Heidelberg University, focusing on the intersection of addiction and memory formation. Her research investigates how addictive drugs like amphetamine and cocaine alter neuronal network activity in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, integrating in vivo electrophysiology with optogenetic and chemogenetic tools.

• Education: B.Sc. in Biosciences (University of Münster), M.Sc. in Molecular Neuroscience (Heidelberg University), Ph.D. in Systems Neuroscience (University of California San Diego).

Research Interests center on dopamine signaling, memory circuits, and addiction neurobiology. Her work employs in vivo electrophysiological recordings and genetic pathway manipulations to dissect the neural mechanisms linking drug exposure to memory dysregulation.

Scientific Awards include prestigious recognitions such as the ERC Starting Grant, Emmy Noether Research Grant (DFG), and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship.

Students in her lab include PhD candidates like Anushka Wakade and medical/Erasmus students such as Kristoffer Damm and Aurelie Huynh.