Postdoc fellowship: Peter und Traudl Engelhorn Foundation, 2024

https://www.oeaw.ac.at/imba/research-highlights/news/peter-un-traudl-engelhorn-fellowship-for-carina-seidl

2023/08 – present Postdoc in Regenerative biology and Neuroscience, Tanaka lab, IMBA

2018/08 – 2023/06 Doctoral Thesis in Molecular Embryology, Niehrs lab, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

2017/04 – 2018/04 Master Thesis in Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Hrzenjak lab, Medical University of Graz

2016/10 – 2017/09 Student Teaching Assistant, Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Technical University of Graz

Best young investigator talk award: BonnBrain, DZNE Bonn, March 23–25, 2026

Best poster award: European Amphibian Conference, Charles University Prague, July 3-5, 2026

Functional Regeneration of Locomotor Circuits in the Axolotl tail

I investigate how locomotor function is rebuilt during axolotl tail regeneration. The project asks whether regenerated spinal circuits re-establish their original organization or instead form compensatory network configurations that still support swimming. By linking behavior with neuronal activity, circuit connectivity, and cell identity, I will determine how completely central pattern generator dynamics and coordinated tail movements recover after regeneration. Ultimately, identifying the minimal requirements for functional circuit restoration in a highly regenerative model will inform more targeted therapeutic approaches in less regenerative species, such as mammals.

I am fascinated by how biological systems assemble their individual components into functional networks. My research has explored this question across different scales, from microRNA control of Hedgehog signaling in cancer to Wnt, BMP, and R-spondin signaling during Xenopus development and ciliogenesis. I now apply this perspective to axolotl tail regeneration, investigating how spinal circuits are rebuilt after tissue loss and how they regain the capacity to drive locomotion. By connecting molecular and cellular processes with neural circuit function, I aim to understand whether regeneration recreates original network architecture or enables alternative solutions that nevertheless restore movement.