Team

Group Leader. Mauricio studied Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and obtained his PhD at the Institute of Biophysics of the same university. For his postdoctoral training, he joined Dr. Caren Norden's lab at the Max Planck-CBG (Germany)/Institute Gulbenkian (Portugal). His research focuses on how embryos construct complex organs with remarkable precision. Mauricio uses the zebrafish retina and human organoids as model systems to study how cells work together to confer robustness to organ formation. In his postdoctoral work, Mauricio discovered a non-canonical type of neuronal migration that prevents spatial competition between emerging neurons and dividing progenitor cells, thus helping safeguard tissue integrity. Mauricio is currently extending this research vision at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine where he has been appointed as a Max Planck research Group Leader in 2024. He and his team are exploring how embryos can naturally correct common developmental defects, such as uncontrolled cell loss and tissue disorganization, to ensure the formation of healthy organisms even under adverse conditions. 

PhD student. Nishita recieved her BSc in Biotechnology from University of Mumbai, India and her MSc in Medical Biotechnology from MS University of Baroda, India. After completing her Masters in 2022, eager to explore, she spent time gaining research experience in both industry and academia. She worked at a pharma company in India briefly, and then moved to Japan as a Research Associate at RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research. During her time in Japan, she worked on tissue morphogenesis during early gastrulation in Drosophila, which fueled her interest in developmental biomechanics. She desires to work at the interface of biology, physics, and chemistry to understand transitions across biological scales. She started her PhD at the Embryo Self-Correction Lab in Oct 2024 to understand the mechanisms of compensatory proliferation upon cell death in developing zebrafish retina. Outside the lab, she enjoys taking nature walks, reading books, and listening to music.

Researcher. Maria earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Lisbon, where she also completed her Master’s in Evolutionary and Developmental Biology. During her Master’s, she conducted her thesis research in Caren Norden’s Lab, focusing on the role of nuclear mechanical properties in tissue development. In 2025, she joined the Rocha Lab as a researcher. Her research interests lie in understanding how environmental factors influence development and how tissues acquire their form and function. Beyond her scientific work, Maria is deeply passionate about science communication and exploring the interface between science and society.

Master Student. Greta completed her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at the University of Bielefeld. She did her Master's at the same university, which included an internship in Bielefeld in the lab of Sven Thoms, where she was studying translational readthrough, and in Helsinki in the lab of Elina Ikonen at the Biomedicum, focusing on lipid droplets. Greta then moved to the Max Planck Institute in Münster for another internship, followed by her Master's thesis on the robustness of retinal lamination. Outside the lab, she enjoys playing handball, baking, and spending time with her family and friends.

Technician. Katja worked in various research laboratories with a biomedical focus in Braunschweig and Cologne until she joined the MPI in Münster in 2008. After many years in a junior group using zebrafish as a model system and several years in the Sequencing Service Unit, she is now enthusiastically contributing her experience to the Rocha Lab. Katja loves walks along the beaches of the north sea and really good food.