Welcome to the Hillebrandt Lab
Bioelectronics and Functional Materials
We explores bioelectronics and functional materials to understand, monitor, and modulate neural systems — with the long-term goal of protecting the aging brain from neurodegeneration.
Welcome to the Hillebrandt Lab
The lab operates at the interface of chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering, and neuroscience. We combine the development of functional materials with advanced device physics and biomedical translation to create next-generation optoelectronic neurointerfaces.
A central focus of our work is organic optoelectronics, particularly organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) tailored for biological environments. By integrating material design, interface engineering, and microfabrication, we develop flexible and implantable systems that enable precise optical interaction with neural tissue.
Embedded within the Humboldt Centre for Nano- and Biophotonics, Institute for Light and Matter at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Cologne, our research is strongly supported by close collaborations in chemistry enabling molecular design, materials synthesis, and advanced characterization. Together with partners in neuroscience, medicine, and engineering, we translate fundamental materials research into functional bioelectronic platforms.
Supported by an ERC Starting Grant, the Hillebrandt Lab is driven by curiosity, rigorous interdisciplinary science, and the ambition to develop technologies that advance our understanding of aging and neurodegenerative disease.