Fiona Müllner’s research investigates how neural circuits in the thalamus — the brain’s first central processing stage — influence visual perception. During her time at IOB, Fiona explored the structure and function of the dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), the key thalamic region connecting the retina and the visual cortex, leading to the publication of her most recent paper.

With a strong interdisciplinary background spanning molecular medicine, neurophysiology, and mathematics, Fiona brings a unique approach to understanding how the brain shapes sensory experience. Her work focuses on how the dLGN does not simply relay information, but actively edits visual signals — highlighting important details, muting distractions, and adjusting information streams depending on attention, arousal, and past experiences.

At DANDRITE, Fiona will now establish her own research group to further examine how thalamic circuits contribute to perception and cognition, using techniques such as large-scale physiological recordings, virus-based anatomical tools, and in vivo imaging. She recently secured a prestigious ERC Starting Grant for her project ActiVisTha, which will investigate how retinal signals are transformed, how interneurons refine them, and how inputs from other brain regions modulate the thalamus.

Fiona took up her new position in August 2025. All of us at IOB warmly congratulate her on this outstanding achievements and wish her continued success in this next chapter!