Daniel Peterson 

Current Research Institution

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, North Chicago (United States of Amercia)

Current Position(s)

Professor and Director

Research Interests:

The brain and spinal cord do not repair themselves following injury, unlike most other tissue in the body, so neurological injury and disease produce a life-long burden for the patient. My research is focused upon ways that we can help the nervous system heal by using a combination of stem cell therapy and gene therapy. In cooperation with my scientific colleagues at the University Clinic in Bonn, we are engineering new nerve cells directly within the brain from stem cells that already exist there. We hope this work will lead to new cures for neurological injury.

Why I recommend Bonn:

I initially came to Bonn to work with my colleague, Prof. Dr. Oliver Brüstle, on a Sabbatical supported by a Fulbright Fellowship. Prof. Brüstle was one of the world's leading scientists in this field and we joined our expertise to accomplish more together. While working here, I discovered that the University of Bonn has a vibrant and collaborative environment and that there was much world-class research being conducted in related fields. Furthermore, I found the community and surroundings to be very pleasant and comfortable. Bonn is an international city with the UN European Headquarters located here and with many international firms having headquarters here, so it is a supportive environment for a newcomer to Germany. I enjoyed being in Bonn so much that I arranged to continue projects with my colleagues at the University of Bonn and we now have funded projects that will keep me visiting Bonn to conduct our research together for several more years.

Thinking of coming to Bonn? Our Bonn University Ambassador Prof. Dr. Daniel Peterson is happy to answer your questions about joining the University of Bonn as an international doctoral student or researcher.