Lukas Steuernagel

Lukas Steuernagel leads the Neurogenomics Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, Germany. His laboratory focuses on developing and applying computational biology methods to understand the brain's role in regulating metabolism and energy balance.

His research program explores the full spectrum of neuronal cell types in the hypothalamus and hindbrain, moving beyond established models of Agrp and Pomc neurons. The group studies neurons at transcriptomic, epigenomic, metabolomic, and spatial levels to understand how genetic and environmental factors influence metabolism-regulating cell types.

Dr. Steuernagel's recent publications demonstrate expertise in creating comprehensive cellular maps of the hypothalamus, with work appearing in top-tier journals including Nature and Nature Metabolism. His research addresses three main areas: mapping cell type architecture of metabolic brain regions, effects of genetics and environment on metabolism-regulating cells, and interpretation of large-scale OMICS data.

He maintains active collaborations with other research groups at the institute to translate computational findings into biological mechanisms.