Francesca van Tartwijk is interested in the organisation of cells at the micron scale, for instance into organelles, and how it emerges from physical principles. She researches how this organisation is altered in specialised cell types such as neurons, how it is adapted to changed local environments (such as in organisms that live in 'extreme' habitats), and how it is compromised in the context of disease (such as neurological disorders). To investigate these questions, she uses a range of cutting-edge fluorescence microscopy techniques as well as unique biological model systems. Her current work focuses on subcellular and molecular mechanisms of cold adaptation in the Antarctic fish Harpagifer antarcticus.
