Marcel Marson
Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Analyzing sequencing data can be very tedious and easily takes months of work. The results are amazing and if chance allows, even a complex UMAP can look like a fish with a whole story behind every tiny dot. I would like to highlight the long way it takes for such a small fish to come to life.

Fatma Delâl Güven
Institut of Anatomy II, Medical Faculty

With a little vigilance and colorful imagination, the work in science quickly takes on Atlantic dimensions. I came across the neuro-atlantic structure in question during the reconstruction of an electron microscope image of a mouse brain. In this picture, a dolphin winks at the viewer, which in the ultrastructure represents a synapse.

Dr. Jay Bathia
Institute of Zoology and Organismic Interactions, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Hydra usually has only one foot. Improper environmental cues can disturb the developmental signals via Eco peptides (expression in purple). This can result in loss of inhibition to make a secondary axis and grow a second foot.

Katharina Tscheu, Ann Kathrin Bergmann
Research lab of Clinic for Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital of Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty

For a long time, we could only guess at the artistic arrangements that cells are capable of. When we examined human bone cells on titanium preparations under a scanning electron microscope, we were surprised by the beauty of filigree works of art. We discovered these flowers right on the abyss.

Dr. Vicente Ramirez, Barbara Schulten
Institute for Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

"From Seed to Symbol: The Growth of HHU" encapsulates not just the transformation of seeds into vibrant plants but also metaphorically represents the journey of the university itself—starting from humble beginnings and blossoming into a recognizable symbol of knowledge and progress.

Iwona Scheliga, Prof. Dr. Alexandra P.  Bielfeld, Alexandra Knebel
Department of OB/GYN and REI (UniKiD), Medical Faculty

Our image "The heart of our work: The Endometrium" focuses on the central role of the endometrium in the female reproductive system. It depicts this vital tissue in all its structural complexity and emphasizes its importance for medical research in women's reproductive health.

Dr. Madhumitha Narasimhan
Institute of Developmental Genetics

This is the image of the membrane of a plant cell with the my favourite protein BAM1 tagged with another fluorescent protein, so I can observe it using laser microscope. The membrane with its protein that shuttles busily doing its job doesn't care about me, its viewers or the galaxy it resembles.

Ellen Oldenburg, Dr. Raphael M. Kronberg,  Dr. Barbara Niehoff, Dr. Ovidiu Popa, Prof. Oliver Ebenhöh
Institute for Quantitative and Theoretical Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Our research focuses on oceanic zooplankton, crucial for the marine food chain but difficult to study due to their patchy distribution. We developed DeepLOKI, AI-based software that classifies zooplankton on ships without internet. Tested on cruise images, DeepLOKI accurately identifies taxa groups.

Elena Huß, Anna Hamacher
Institute of Metabolic Physiology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Neuronal cell line F11 stained with flourescent-labelled antibodies against Beta Tubulin and DAPI.

Marius Benedens
Synthetic Membrane Systems, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science

“The Clockwork of Pel” presents the cryo-EM structure of the outer membrane complex of the Pel secretory system as an artistic clock. The illustration reflects the beauty of the biological mechanism that enables the transport of polysaccharides through precision and order.

Dr. Anne Hofmann
Institute of Botany, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Maize (Zea mays) can adapt to flooding or hypoxia stress. Formation of aerenchyma   (purposely death of root cells) facilitates O₂ transport from shoots to roots. Lignification (here as pink cells, stained with Fuchsin-Chrysoidin-Astrablau after ETZOLD) inhibits the radial loss of O₂.

Sara Ipakchi
Philosophy VI, Faculty of Arts and Humanities

During, before or after the dissertation, who hasn't experienced this!
I'll soon be finished, but the self-made Pomodoro wall clock will always remind me of my time as a doctoral student.