Göttinger Graduiertenzentrum für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften

Posnien, Nico, Dr.

Emmy-Noether Group Leader, Developmental Biology


  • 2006 Diploma, Georg-August-University Göttingen
  • 07/2006 - 07/2009 Dr. rer. nat., Georg-August-University Göttingen
  • 08/2009 - 12/2009 Post-doctoral Research Associate, Georg-August-University Göttingen
  • 01/2010 - 07/2011 Post-doctoral Research Associate, Vetmed Uni Vienna, Institute of Populationgenetics, Austria
  • 08/2011 - 03/2012 Post-doctoral Research Associate, Oxford Brookes University, School of Life Sciences, UK
  • 04/2012 Post-doctoral Research Associate, Georg-August-University Göttingen
  • 05/2012 - 10/2015 Independent Group Leader, Georg-August University Göttingen
  • 11/2015 - 10/2021 Emmy-Noether Group Leader, Georg-August University Göttingen
  • 11/2021 - 11/2023 Group Leader, Georg-August University Göttingen
  • since 12/2023 Heisenberg Fellow (non-permanent), Georg-August University Göttingen




Major Research Interests
The size and shape of a complex organ is defined during its development by the action of gene regulatory networks, which ensure the tightly controlled expression of developmental genes. Changes in the function and regulation of those genes during development account for variation in various morphological traits.
We combine comparative genomics, quantitative genetics, developmental genetics and geometric morphometrics approaches to identify the molecular changes underlying diversification in head and eye morphology in flies, beetles and spiders.




Homepage Department/Research Group

https://www.posnien-lab.net/

Selected Recent Publications


  • Ebrar Erdoğan DE*, Karimifard S*, Khodadadi M, Ling L, Linke L, Catalán A, Doublet V, Glaser-Schmitt A, Niehuis O, Nowick K, Soro A, Turetzek N#, Feldmeyer B#, Posnien N# (2025) “ATAC-seq in Emerging Model Organisms: Challenges and Strategies.” Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution.
    doi: 10.1002/jez.b.23305
    *equal contribution (first author from Posnien lab); #corresponding authors

  • Torres-Oliva M*, Buchberger E*, Buffry AD*, Kittelmann M, Sumner-Rooney L, Gaspar PMC, Bullinger GC, Guerrero G, Casares F, Arif S#, Posnien N#, Nunes DDS#, McGregor AP#, Almudi I# (2025) "Differences in orthodenticle expression promote ommatidial size variation between Drosophila spe-cies." BMC Biology, (2025) 23:34
    doi: 10.1186/s12915‑025‑02136‑8
    *equal contribution (first and second authors from Posnien lab); #corresponding authors

  • Wiegleb G, Reinhardt S, Dahl A, Posnien N (2022). "Tissue dissociation for single-cell and single-nuclei RNA sequencing for low amounts of input material." Frontiers in Zoology 19:27.
    doi: 10.1186/s12983-022-00472-x

  • Buchberger E, Bilen A, Ayaz S, Salamanca D, Matas de las Heras C, Niksic A, Almudi I, Torres-Oliva M, Casares F, Posnien N (2021) “Variation in pleiotropic hub gene expression is associated with interspecific differences in head shape and eye size in Drosophila.” Molecular Biology and Evolution; msaa335.
    doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaa335.