Seraphine V. Wegner

Seraphine V. Wegner is a Full Professor at the Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry within the Medical Faculty of the University of Münster. She leads an active research group focused on the spatiotemporal control of cell-material and cell-cell interactions using visible light. Her work bridges synthetic biology, cell biology, and photochemistry to create innovative approaches for tissue engineering and minimal cellular systems.

Dr. Wegner's educational background includes a PhD from the University of Chicago (2005-2010) and undergraduate studies at Middle East Technical University in Turkey (2002-2005). Her career path has taken her through prestigious institutions including the Max Planck Institutes in Mainz and Heidelberg, where she established her independent research before joining the University of Münster as a Full Professor in 2019.

Her research spans several interconnected areas including light-controlled minimal cellular systems, photoswitchable cell-cell interactions for tissue engineering, light-controlled cell-material interactions, and engineering designer biofilms with light. These research themes share a common thread of using light as a non-invasive tool to precisely control biological processes with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Dr. Wegner's publication record shows consistent high-impact output across leading journals in cell biology, synthetic biology, and materials science. Her recent work demonstrates increasing sophistication in multi-color light control systems and applications in both fundamental biological questions and potential therapeutic approaches.

• ERC Consolidator Grant (2024): LIGHTHOUSE - Light as a signal for nonchemical cell-to-cell communication
• ERC Starting Grant (2018): ARTIST - Artificial cell-cell interactions for light switchable cell organization and signaling
• Young Leaders in Science Program, Schering Foundation (2016)
• MaxSynBio Independent Group Leader, BMBF/MPG (2015)

Her research group actively collaborates across disciplines, with projects spanning from fundamental biophysics of cell adhesion to potential medical applications in tissue engineering and bacterial therapeutics. Dr. Wegner has established herself as a leader in the emerging field of optogenetic control of multicellular systems.