Birgit Liss

Birgit Liss is a Full Professor and Director at the Institute of Applied Physiology, University of Ulm, Germany, since 2010. She previously held a Junior-Professur (tenure track) at the University of Marburg (2003-2007) and completed postdoctoral work at the University of Oxford (1999-2001). Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of dopamine neurons in health and disease, particularly Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and ADHD.

• PhD in Molecular Neurobiology, University of Hamburg (1999)
• Diploma in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Universität Hamburg (1995)

Her team investigates cell-specific gene expression and ion channel dynamics in dopamine neurons, linking these to selective vulnerability in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Current projects include analyzing homeostatic interplay between ion channels and neural calcium sensors, funded by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Stiftung, DFG, and the Royal Society.

She collaborates with Prof. Christian Kubisch at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and leads the TransMIT-Project for "Cellspecifc Genexpression profiling" since 2005. Her work combines in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology, laser-microdissection, and quantitative RNA/DNA analysis of individual neurons.

Scientific Awards

• HIAS Fellowship (2021-2022)
• Alfried Krupp Price (2007)
• Hirnliga Brain Research Award (2006)
• Woman of the Year (2002)
• Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship (2001-2004)
• Todd-Bird Junior Research Fellowship (2000-2003)
• Cephalosporin Junior Research Fellowship (2000)
• Blaschko Visiting Research Fellowship (1999-2000)

Her research group, based in the Life Science Building (N27) at Ulm University, includes PhD students, MD students, and technical staff working on projects like cell-specific CGH array analysis and Q-FISH telomer-length quantification. Funding sources include the Wellcome Trust, DFG Graduate school CEMMA, and Parkinson's disease Society.