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Lab history and team

Lab history, values that unite our team and team members

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MEET THE TEAM
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Can Aztekin 🇹🇷

Max Planck Research Group Leader
Branco Weiss Fellow

Can Aztekin is a Max Planck Research Group Leader and head of the Structural Regeneration Laboratory at the Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society in Tübingen, Germany. He joined the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) as an ELISIR Scholar in 2021, where he established his first independent research group.

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He received his BSc in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering (minor in Chemistry) from Sabanci University, Turkey, in 2014, during which he was selected for the Harvard Stem Cell Institute Internship Program. He subsequently earned an MSc in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering from Koc University in 2016, working with Prof. Tamer Onder on cell fate stability through chromatin modifications using CRISPR screens and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). He obtained his PhD through the Wellcome Trust Developmental Mechanisms Programme at the University of Cambridge, UK, working with Professor Sir John Gurdon, jointly with Prof. Ben Simons and Dr. Jerome Jullien at the Gurdon Institute, where he initiated single-cell RNA sequencing studies in regeneration. He has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Branco Weiss Fellowship 2022, the International Society of Regenerative Biology Rising Star Award 2025, and an ERC Starting Grant 2025.

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His laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying limb regeneration across species. The group develops new model systems and integrates single-cell technologies with quantitative biology approaches to understand how complex tissues restore form and function, with the long-term goal of informing regenerative medicine.

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Kelly Hu 🇨🇦

Phd Student

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Georgios Tsissios 🇨🇾

Postdoctoral Fellow

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Jamie Kussmaul 🇺🇸

Technician

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Atharva Valanju 🇮🇳

Technician

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Karol Tchorz 🇵🇱

PhD Student

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Sophie Weber 🇩🇪

Bachelors Intern

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Silvia Da Pra 🇮🇹

Postdoctoral Fellow

APPLICATIONS

Join our lab

We welcome outstanding candidates at all career stages who are eager to contribute to our research mission. Our lab values individual responsibility, passion, and creativity.

  • We are happy to support the next generation of scientists. If you are interested in an internship in our lab, please contact can.aztekin@tuebingen.mpg.de, including:

    1. Your CV.

    2. A motivation letter explaining why you wish to do an internship with us.

    We generally accept interns who can commit to at least 4 months. Shorter internships are only considered under exceptional circumstances.

  • We welcome motivated MSc students interested in conducting their thesis work in our group. If you would like to apply, please contact can.aztekin@tuebingen.mpg.de, including:

    1. Your CV.

    2. A motivation letter explaining why you wish to pursue your MSc thesis with us.

  • We encourage direct enquiries from prospective PhD students. To officially join the lab, you must apply through the IMPRS program, which admits students once per year.

    To initiate a conversation, please send:

    1. Your CV.

    2. A motivation letter explaining why you wish to pursue your PhD in our lab.

    3. The names and email addresses of 1–2 referees who have agreed to provide recommendation letters.

    Please reach out to can.aztekin@tuebingen.mpg.de.

  • We are a highly interdisciplinary lab, and we are excited to welcome new team members who bring fresh perspectives and expertise.

    We are happy to provide initial support, but candidates are expected to apply for external fellowships (e.g., EMBO, HFSP) to fund a significant portion of their salary. Laboratory research costs will be supported by the lab.

    Applicants should:

    • Have an excellent track record from their PhD or previous postdoctoral work.

    • Have a first-author publication or preprint, or a manuscript close to submission.

    Interested candidates should contact can.aztekin@tuebingen.mpg.de, including:

    1. Your CV.

    2. A motivation letter explaining why you would like to join our lab and proposing potential project ideas to initiate a conversation. (Project ideas are not binding and are expected to evolve during the application process.)

    3. The names and email addresses of 2–3 referees who have agreed to provide recommendation letters.

Important Note

Please ensure that your application includes all requested documents. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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