About

Dr. rer. nat. Felix Beinlich

Portrait of Dr. Felix Beinlich
Copenhagen Center for Translational Neuromedicine

Hello, I'm Felix

I am an Assistant Professor at the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Copenhagen. My work spans neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, with a particular focus on oxygen dynamics in the cortex.

During my doctoral research in Jülich, I specialized in the mechanisms underlying synaptic vesicle acidification in glutamatergic synapses.

Today I work on the mechanisms underlying brain function, the role of astrocytes in regulating neuronal activity, and new methods for studying how the brain responds to changing conditions — including genetically encoded biosensors for in vivo imaging.

Outside the lab, I am an avid cyclist and sailor.

“Nature is showing us only the tail of the lion, but I have no doubt that the lion belongs to it even though, because of its large size, it cannot totally reveal itself all at once. We can see it only the way a louse that is sitting on it would.”
— Albert Einstein, 1914

Timeline

2023 – present
Assistant Professor
Center for Translational Neuromedicine · University of Copenhagen · Maiken Nedergaard Lab
2018 – 2023
Postdoctoral Researcher
Center for Translational Neuromedicine · University of Copenhagen · Maiken Nedergaard Lab
2014 – 2018
Dr. rer. nat. (Biology)
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf — doctoral research at Forschungszentrum Jülich (ICS-4, Cellular Biophysics) · Christoph Fahlke Lab
2014
Visiting Research Scholar
University of Michigan · James Bardwell Lab
2012 – 2014
MSc, Biology & Chemistry
University of Osnabrück · Karin Busch Lab
2007 – 2012
BSc, Biology & Chemistry
University of Osnabrück · Karin Busch Lab
2026 LFIN Seed Grant, Lundbeck Foundation · with Jonas Folke
2026 FENS Childcare Support Grant
2025 LFIN Seed Grant, Lundbeck Foundation · with Jingjing Xu
2024 – 2028 Member of the Lundbeck Foundation Investigator Network
2014 – 2018 Member of IHRS BioSoft, the International Helmholtz Research School of Biophysics and Soft Matter, Forschungszentrum Jülich

My research is embedded in the Center for Translational Neuromedicine and supported by its core funding. In addition, my current work is supported by Lundbeck Foundation LFIN Seed Grants (2025 and 2026).

Student projects

Three thesis projects that are open right now. All of them build on bioluminescence oxygen imaging in awake mice and can be shaped around your interests and background.

01

Physical activity and brain oxygen: how does locomotion reshape hypoxic pockets?

Hypoxic pockets are brief, local drops in cortical oxygen that occur in the healthy brain and become less frequent when mice run. This project uses bioluminescence oxygen imaging in awake, head-fixed mice to ask how running, rest and transitions between them change the number, size and duration of hypoxic pockets.

What you will learn

In vivo widefield imaging in awake mice, behavioural tracking, time-series and image analysis in Python or MATLAB, and how to design and analyse a within-animal experiment.

Prerequisite: FELASA course, or willingness to complete it before the experimental phase.

02

Mapping hypoxic pockets onto the cortical vasculature

Hypoxic pockets recur at the same locations. This project combines oxygen imaging with blood-flow imaging to map where pockets arise in relation to arterioles, capillaries and venules, and to test whether their position in the vascular network predicts how deep and how long they are.

What you will learn

Multimodal in vivo imaging, vessel segmentation and image registration, spatial statistics, and how to build a reproducible analysis pipeline.

Prerequisite: FELASA course, or willingness to complete it before the experimental phase.

03

Inflammation and the brain's oxygen supply

Systemic inflammation doubles the frequency of hypoxic pockets within a day. This project quantifies how an inflammatory challenge changes pocket dynamics over time and how quickly the cortex returns to baseline, using oxygen imaging and blood-flow measurements.

What you will learn

Longitudinal in vivo imaging, experimental design with repeated measures, statistics for time courses, and critical reading of the neuroinflammation literature.

Prerequisite: FELASA course, or willingness to complete it before the experimental phase.

Projects are suitable for MSc theses in neuroscience, pharmacology or biology and can be adapted for bachelor projects with a stronger analysis focus. Contact: felix.beinlich@sund.ku.dk

Let's talk about oxygen

Open to prospective students & new collaborations

Interested in collaboration, student projects, or media inquiries? Feel free to reach out via email or through the lab website.

Office address
University of Copenhagen
Center for Translational Neuromedicine
Blegdamsvej 3B
2200 Copenhagen N
Denmark