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Prof. Dr. Yael Politi
Telephone: +49-351-463-44301
Fax:
E-mail: Yael.politi@tu-dresden.de
Technische Universität Dresden
B CUBE
Zentrum für Molekulare und Zellukläre Biotechnologie
Tantzberg 41, 01307 Dresden
CV
Academic Education
| Year | |
| 2005-2009 | Dissertation: Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Title: “The formation of transient amorphous calcium carbonate in biomineralization and its transformation into calcite.“ Advisors: Prof. Lia Addadi and Prof. Steve Weiner |
| 2002-2004 | Master thesis. Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Title: “Transient amorphous calcium carbonate in sea urchin skeleton” Advisors: Prof. Lia Addadi and Prof. Steve Weiner |
| 1999-2001 | B.Sc. degree in Biology, 2001, with high honors, Tel Aviv University, Israel Faculty of Life Sciences |
Academic Career
| Year | |
| since 2019 | Professor, chair Bioprospecting, Technische Universität Dresden, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB) B CUBE, Dresden, Germany |
| 2012-2019 | Group Leader “Biological chitin-based tools and sensors”, Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany |
| 2009-2012 | Postdoctoral position at the Max Plank Institute of Colloids and Interfaces. Potsdam, Germany. Dept. Biomaterials. Advisor: Prof. Peter Fratzl |
Research Areas
- I study the relationships between structure- properties-function in a variety of biological materials mainly chitin-based cuticular materials from arthropods, but also mineralized structures such as the sea urchin test and spines. We want to understand how they operate but also how they form. The exoskeleton of arthropod, the cuticle, is intrinsically multifunctional as it has to serve both as a skin and a skeleton and as it carries a diverse set of tools and a myriad of sensors. We are fascinated by this inherent multifunctionality that is enabled by an incredible versatility in materials architecture and properties. This material versatility is indeed thought central to the evolution of the more than million species that render Arthropoda the largest, most diverse, animal group. It is also what makes the arthropod’s cuticle an especially attractive archetype for bio-inspired multifunctional materials design. After years of research in biomimicry it is clear that solutions from nature cannot simply be copied into engineering. Instead, an in-depth understanding of the “design” principles as used by biology within the context of their evolutionary path and the complementary mechanistic understanding on how these structures are synthesized and organized hold promise for bio-inspired design.
