Andre Berndt

Andre Berndt is an assistant professor at the University of Washington in the Department of Bioengineering where he develops molecular biosensors for applications in neuroscience. He received his Ph.D. in biophysics from the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, after elucidating the molecular mechanism of the light-gated cation channel Channelrhodopsin-2. Based on this essential work, he extended the optogenetic toolbox by engineering various tools for controlling neuronal circuits by light. Andre Berndt continued his work as a postdoc at Stanford University where he identified the structural determinants of channelrhodopsin ion selectivity, leading to the design of a completely new channelrhodopsin. By merging biophysics and bioengineering with neuroscience, Andre aims to develop the most efficient and specific tools for interrogating neuronal circuits.