Susanne Ressl

Susanne Ressl is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience in the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, where she leads the Ressl Lab. She previously established her research program at Indiana University Bloomington from 2015-2020 before moving to UT Austin in August 2020. Dr. Ressl directs the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Graduate Program and Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Graduate Programs, teaching NEU337 Structural Neuroscience.

Dr. Ressl earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics & Johan Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, followed by postdoctoral research in Structural Neuroscience at Stanford University. Her educational background reflects her interdisciplinary approach bridging structural biology and neuroscience.

Dr. Ressl's research focuses on understanding how synaptic proteins organize and shape neuronal connectivity to regulate brain function. Her lab integrates biophysics, biochemistry, structural biology, and cell biology to investigate protein function across biological scales. She specializes in Structural Neuroscience and the Structural Biology of Membrane Proteins, with particular interest in how secreted and membrane-associated proteins regulate synaptic connectivity and communication. Her work aims to uncover molecular mechanisms critical for synaptic plasticity, brain health, and neurological disorders, with potential applications for treating cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent productivity in high-impact journals spanning structural biology, neuroscience, and biochemistry. Her research shows a clear trajectory from membrane protein structure to synaptic neuroscience, with increasing focus on protein complexes at the synapse. Recent work emphasizes the role of C1q-like proteins in synaptic organization and the development of innovative tools for studying membrane proteins in the brain.

• 2019 Indiana University Trustees Teaching Award
• 2016 Provost's Travel Award for Woman in Science
• 2012-2014 Otto-Hahn Postdoctoral Fellowship, The Max-Planck Society
• 2010-2011 EMBO Postdoctoral Long-term Fellowship
• 6/2010 Otto-Hahn Medal, The Max-Planck Society
• 2006-2009 PhD Fellowship of the International Max-Planck Research School

Dr. Ressl has mentored numerous students across career stages, including PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate students. Her lab collaborates with several research groups including the Martinelli lab, Lee lab, Callmann group, and Goldschen-Ohm group. The Ressl Lab is known for innovative approaches combining structural biology with functional neuroscience, including a notable collaboration with artist Jiangmei Wu on the 'Light Harvest' interactive sculpture that transformed protein structures into artistic representations.