Stefan HopplerView profile
Professor
Professor Stefan Hoppler holds a Personal Chair at the University of Aberdeen's School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, within the Institute of Medical Sciences. He completed a University Diploma (MSc equivalent) in Zoology and Molecular Biology, and a Dr. phil. II (PhD) in Zoology at the University of Zürich, Switzerland. His career includes postdoctoral research at the University of Washington and University of Cambridge, followed by roles as Principal Investigator at the University of Dundee before joining Aberdeen in 2003. He was promoted to Reader (Associate Professor) in 2006 and Full Professor in 2012. His research focuses on Wnt signaling pathways in embryonic development, particularly their roles in heart and brain development using Xenopus models and human embryonic stem cells. Key areas include understanding tissue-specific signaling mechanisms and their implications in congenital heart defects and cancer. Current grants include British Heart Foundation and BBSRC funding for studies on Wnt signaling in cardiomyocyte differentiation and TCF/LEF diversification. Professor Hoppler has held prestigious awards such as the Royal Society/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship (2020) and Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship (1997). He serves on editorial boards (e.g., Genes, Developmental Dynamics) and professional societies (Genetics Society, British Society for Developmental Biology). His work integrates experimental models with theoretical approaches, as seen in recent publications on mathematical modeling of Wnt signaling and evolutionary diversification of TCF/LEF proteins. He leads collaborative projects on cardiovascular regeneration and contributes to training through roles like Scientific Meetings Secretary for the Genetics Society. His lab is part of the Aberdeen Developmental Biology Group and Cardiovascular and Diabetes Centre, emphasizing interdisciplinary research and translational applications.









