Professor Dr Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard

Research Priorities: genetic control of pattern formation, gradient theory, Drosophila melanogaster, zebrafish Danio rerio, colour pattern formation in fishes
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard is a developmental biologist and geneticist. Her research focuses on the genetic and molecular development analysis of animals, particularly the fly Drosophila melanogaster and the zebrafish Danio rerio. She has received numerous awards, honorary doctorates and prizes for her discovery of genes that control animal and human development and for the verification of shape-forming gradients in the fly embryo. In 1995, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology together with Edward B. Lewis and Eric F. Wieschaus.
Together with Eric Wieschaus, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard discovered about 120 genes in systematic studies at the EMBL in Heidelberg that have important functions in shaping the fly embryo, especially its division into segments. Identifying and describing these genes has contributed significantly to understanding general mechanisms of pattern formation during animal development. Many of the new genes also play important roles (in modified form) in vertebrate development and in carcinogenesis.
As head of research at the FML in Tübingen, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard discovered further molecular factors already present in the egg that form the basis for the development of embryonic axes and the first subdivisions in the egg. She was the first to document the existence of gradients of shape-forming substances that activate different genes in a concentration-dependent manner and thus lead to an increase in spatial complexity during development. 
Since 1992, her research group has been mainly concerned with the evolution and genetics of the zebrafish Danio rerio. Her systematic genetic studies have contributed significantly to establishing this fish as a new and powerful model system in vertebrate genetics. Recently, her research has focused on the genetic basis of forming the external shape of the adult fish, the variation of which plays a significant role in the evolution of shapes. In particular, her research group is investigating the genetic basis of stripe formation as a model for the development of colour patterns in vertebrates. Molecular interactions between the three colour cell types (black melanophores, yellow xanthophores and silver reflecting iridophores) play a decisive role. 
In 2004, Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard established the CNV Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Research. The foundation's mission is to provide financial support for women with children during their doctoral studies to allow them more freedom and mobility for a career in science.