Dr Friederike Uhlig studied Molecular Nutrition Science (BSc, MSc) at the University of Hohenheim (Germany) and has always been fascinated by the workings of the gastrointestinal tract and how the gut communicates with the brain. This was nurtured in internships at the University of Cambridge and the German Institute for Nutrition Science (DIfE, Potsdam) and ultimately, led to pursing a PhD at the University of Sheffield (UK). Here, she investigated how bacterial compounds modulate pain sensing in the gut and discovered that a specific bacterium produces a plethora of toxins that have differential effects on afferent nerve activity. For her postdoc, Friederike moved to the United States (University of Vermont, Burlington) where she investigated mechanisms of gastrointestinal dysfunction in mouse models of multiple sclerosis as well as alteration of the brain vasculature by chronic stress and hypertension. She was then awarded a prestigious Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions COFUND fellowship and moved to Cork in 2021 where she predominately investigated (microbial) signalling in the gut epithelium. In 2023, Friederike obtained funding from Research Ireland through the Pathway program to establish her own independent research group. She joined the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in 2025.

Friederike’s research group investigates the mechanisms by which microbiome-derived metabolites modulate gut physiology and gut-brain communication. Her group uses in-vitro, ex-vivo and in-vivo techniques including primary neuronal cultures, Ussing Chambers, afferent nerve recordings and chemogenetics as well as microbiological and pharmacological approaches to understand whether activation of enteric neurons, hormone secretion or modulation of epithelial function are involved. Using cell and rodent models, her group also investigates how disorders with gut-brain-symptomology, including autism spectrum disorder and irritable bowel syndrome, affect microbiome-gut-neuron signalling. The goal of these studies is to elucidate how gastrointestinal (dys-) function relates to systemic disorders and to develop gut-targeting treatments that improve both digestive and brain-related symptoms in these disorders. 

I welcome enquires from students interested in discussing MSc or PhD opportunities and post-doctoral researchers wishing to join the research group. If you have ideas for collaborations on existing work or would like to discuss your own research interests then there are a number of PhD studentships, Postdoctoral fellowships and other funding schemes available which I am more than happy to discuss this with you in the first instance by email.