Monika Stengl

Prof. Dr. Monika Stengl is a Professor of Animal Physiology at the University of Kassel, Germany, where she leads the Stengl research group within the Department of Animal Physiology in the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Her research career spans several decades, with publications dating back to the late 1980s, and she continues to be an active researcher as evidenced by publications from 2025.

Dr. Stengl earned her PhD in 1989 from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Arizona with a thesis titled "Development of an in vitro model system to study primary sensory transduction mechanisms."

Her research focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying animal behavior, with particular emphasis on olfactory transduction in the tobacco hawk moth (Manduca sexta) and circadian clock mechanisms in insects, especially the Madeiran cockroach (Rhyparobia maderae) and fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster). Her work integrates molecular, cellular, and systems approaches to understand how neural circuits process sensory information and generate rhythmic behaviors. She has made significant contributions to understanding pigment-dispersing factor signaling, GABAergic modulation in circadian systems, and the molecular basis of olfactory transduction.

Dr. Stengl's extensive publication record demonstrates her leadership in chronobiology and neuroethology. Her recent work shows a continued focus on multiscale timing mechanisms, with particular attention to neuropeptide signaling, circadian pacemaker coupling, and the molecular components of biological clocks across different insect species. She has developed innovative approaches to studying in vivo circadian recordings and neural circuit organization.

• She is actively involved in the DFG-funded Research Training Group "Biological clocks on multiple time scales" (GRK 2749/1) at the University of Kassel.
• She collaborates with PD Dr. Susanne Neupert, who leads a Young Researchers Group.
• Her laboratory has produced numerous significant findings on circadian clock mechanisms and olfactory processing in insects.

Dr. Stengl's laboratory combines electrophysiological, molecular, and imaging techniques to investigate the neural basis of circadian rhythms and olfactory processing in insects. Her research has important implications for understanding fundamental principles of neural circuit organization and function across species, with potential applications in pest control and understanding biological timing mechanisms in general.