Harald Luksch

Prof. Dr. Harald Luksch is a faculty member at the Department of Zoology, Technical University of Munich, and has led the Leonardo da Vinci Center for Bionics since 2018. He previously served as Dean of Biosciences (2016–2018), Vice-Speaker of the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (2012–2017), and Department Speaker for Animal Sciences (2010–2016) at TU Munich.

• Education:
  • Diplomarbeit (1989) at University of Bonn, conducted at University of Cologne under Prof. Walkowiak
  • Dissertation (1990–1994) at University of Cologne on auditory midbrain neuroanatomy/physiology of Discoglossus pictus
  • Habilitation (2002) at RWTH Aachen for Zoology

Research Interests focus on:

• Cellular Mechanisms: Understanding information processing in neurons via whole-cell patch clamping, electrostimulation, and in vitro brain slice physiology, primarily in the vertebrate optic tectum of birds.
• Feedback Loops: Studying tectal-isthmic circuits as winner-takes-all systems, using in vitro analysis to dissect molecular factors like R-Cadherin in embryonic development.
• Multimodal Interactions: Examining how auditory, somatosensory, and infrared afferents align with visual maps in the optic tectum, with implications for error signaling in sensory calibration.
• Developmental Neuroscience: Investigating neuronal network formation in precocial species (e.g., chickens) through cell culture techniques, magnetic cell sorting, and biohybrid circuits.

Article Trends reveal expertise in neuronal connectivity (tectum, isthmus), sensory integration (visual-auditory, echo-acoustic flow), and developmental neurobiology (R-Cadherin, CARTp localization, multimodal calibration). Techniques span intracellular recording, optical imaging, uncaging experiments, and embryonic manipulations.

Scientific Affiliations include memberships in the Society for Neuroscience, International Society for Neuroethology, FENS, and V-BIO. Collaborations span institutions like University of California, San Diego, RWTH Aachen, and University of Bremen.

Labs/Teams are embedded in the Chair of Zoology at TU Munich, with methodological focus on neuronal tracing, patch-clamp physiology, and developmental studies. Current projects include in-vivo electrophysiology in behaving animals, optical imaging of isthmic feedback, and uncaging experiments for synaptic analysis.