Dr. rer. nat. Benjamin Escribano

Neuroscientist 👨‍🔬 | Microscopy 🔬 & Data 📊 Expert | R&D Engineering Consultant 👨‍🔧

Summary

Personal Data

🎂 Born

1990 in Basel, Switzerland 🇨🇭

🌍 Citizenships

Swiss 🇨🇭 & Italian 🇮🇹

📍 Location

Living in Bonn, Germany 🇩🇪

🗓 Availability

Upon request (6 weeks' notice)

☎️ Contact Information

Available here

Languages

🇨🇭 Swiss-German

Mother Tongue Dialect

🇩🇪 German

Standard High German

🇬🇧 English

Full Academic Proficiency

🇪🇸 Spanish

Trilingual upbringing

🇮🇹 Italian

Trilingual upbringing

🇫🇷 French

Swiss Matriculation

Education

🎓 Doctor of Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. nat.) in Neuroscience
📍 Technical University of Kaiserslautern (now RPTU), Germany
🗓 Nov. 2017 – Oct. 2021

• Thesis: Functional and Structural Analysis of Engram Cells in Drosophila.

🎓 Master of Science (M. Sc.) in Molecular Biology
📍 Friedrich Miescher Institute (FMI) Basel, Switzerland
🗓 Oct. 2013 – Feb. 2015

• Thesis: Live Imaging at the Drosophila NMJ to Study Synapse Assembly and Disassembly.

🎓 Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.) in Biology, Major in Molecular Biology
📍 University of Basel, Switzerland
🗓 Aug. 2010 – Jul. 2013

🎓 Matriculation with Spanish (Core Subject) and Biology (Complementary Subject)
📍 Gymnasium Bäumlihof Basel, Switzerland
🗓 Aug. 2006 - Jun. 2009

• Thesis: Midnight Sports – Die Erfolgsfaktoren im Visier

Professional Experience

💼 Deputy Technology Platform Head
📍 Collaborative Prototyping Core Facility, University of Bonn, Germany
🗓 Nov. 2023 – Present

• Consulted 20+ research groups, delivering expert technical strategies for experimental design, hardware integration, and data analysis.

• Engineered and deployed 30+ custom 3D-printed, electronic, and optical prototypes, directly enabling novel behavioral research paradigms.

• Upgraded and maintained 10+ complex microscopy systems through the seamless integration of custom devices, structural modifications, and specialized parts.

• Drove capacity-building initiatives across the institute by organizing 4 workshops, 1 seminar, and extensive one-on-one technical troubleshooting sessions.

*Currently also known as The CADRE - Collaborative Accelerator for Development and Research Engineering, funded by the iBehave network. It will be integrated into the Bonn Technology Campus in the future as a joint Core Facility for the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn.

💼 Postdoctoral Research Scientist
📍 German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany
🗓 Apr. 2022 – Oct. 2023

• Lead the establishment of 1 intravital 2p-microscopy and 1 optical laser coupling system for behavioral research, designing the data backup infrastructure and managing purchases.

• Executed stereotaxic surgeries (FELASA-B), including GRIN-lens implantations and viral tracings, alongside detailed histology for anatomical studies.

• Drove the computational data analysis for 2 in-vivo deep-brain imaging studies, culminating in a co-authored publication (Favila et al. 2025, Nature Communications) and an international conference poster presentation.

• Mentored and regularly guided 2 PhD, 1 Master’s, and 1 Bachelor’s student, successfully overseeing their experimental workflows and analytical pipelines.

💼 Research Associate
📍 Technical University of Kaiserslautern (formerly TUKL, now RPTU), Germany
🗓 Nov. 2017 – Oct. 2021

• Designed and implemented an in-vivo 2p-microscopy setup with customized olfactory stimulation, executing computational analyses that yielded a co-authored publication (Siegenthaler et al. 2019, PLOS Biology).

• Contributed to successful funding acquisition and conceptualized, collected, and analyzed data for an in-silico model of neuronal signal propagation, resulting in an additional co-authorship (Hafez et al. 2023, eLife).

• Instructed 10+ practical courses and supervised 5+ students, while broadly communicating findings via 4 international conference posters, 3 meeting presentations, and successfully securing 1 external collaboration.

💼 Research Associate
📍 Charité Institute for Neurophysiology in Berlin, Germany
🗓 May 2016 – Oct. 2017

• Established 2 advanced 2p-microscopy systems for behavioral research, fully integrating olfactory stimulation and electrophysiology.

• Acquired and systematically analyzed in-vivo calcium imaging, STED, and confocal microscopy datasets.

• Implemented a robust protocol for antibody staining in brain tissue.

💼 Research Associate
📍 Friedrich Miescher Institut (FMI) in Basel, Switzerland
🗓 Sep. 2015 – Mar. 2016

• Developed a novel methodology for longitudinal in-vivo imaging of synaptic neurodegeneration markers, utilizing spinning disc microscopy coupled with post-hoc antibody staining.
• Executed acquisition and computational analysis of time-series and confocal microscopy data.
• Communicated scientific insights through a conference poster presentation and a local seminar talk.

💼 Quality Assurance Associate (part-time)
📍 Novartis AG in Basel, Switzerland
🗓 Mar. 2012 - Mar. 2015

• Streamlined the administration of compliance and training records using enterprise learning management systems.
• Facilitated lifecycle management and global distribution of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Coordinated proactively with document authors to ensure timely updates and prevent overdue SOPs, maintaining stringent QA standards.

💼 Emergency Admissions Clerk (part-time)
📍 University Hospital in Basel, Switzerland
🗓 Jun. 2010 - Dec. 2011

• Managed patient admissions at the emergency gate, operating within 24-hour shift schedules.

Military and Civil Service

⛑️ Civil Service Deployment as Residential Support Worker
📍 Residential Home Hirsacker in Liesberg, Switzerland
🗓 Apr. 2016 - May 2016

• Provided daily care for non-verbal autistic residents, adapting to specialized needs.

⛑️ Civil Service Deployment as Scientific Associate
📍 Faculty of Psychology, Cognitive Neurosciences, University of Basel, Switzerland
🗓 Mar. 2015 - Jul. 2015

• Organized and executed psychological electroencephalogram (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies on healthy human volunteers.

🪖 Military Refresher Course (Wiederholungskurs - WK)
📍 Military Training Area in Thun, Switzerland
🗓 Sep. 2013 - Sep. 2013

🪖 Military Training School (Rekrutenschule - RS), Promoted to Soldier
📍 Military Training Area in Liestal and Bure, Switzerland
🗓 Oct. 2009 - Apr. 2010

• Basic military training for Infantry Reconnaissance Soldiers.

🪖 Conscription Information Day and Recruitment with Sports Badge
📍 Recruitment Center in Windisch, Switzerland
🗓 Apr. 2009

Skills and Core Competencies

Microscopy & Imaging

• Systems: Confocal, Multiphoton (2P), STED, Spinning Disc, Lightsheet, GRIN-Lens, Miniscope (1P/2P).
• Methods: in-vivo / ex-vivo Calcium Imaging, ScanImage, Laser Alignment, Optics.

Neuroscience Methods

• EASI-FISH, Electrophysiology, Optogenetics, Sensory Stimulation, Behavior Monitoring, Histology, Genetics, Modeling (NEURON).

Engineering & Prototyping

• Design: 3D CAD (Fusion), PCB Design (KiCad, Fusion).
• Fabrication: CNC Milling, Laser Cutting, 3D Printing, Soldering.
• Embedded Systems: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, NI-DAQ, bPod, ESP32.
• Control: Sensors, Actuators, Solenoids, Relays, Automation, Device Integration & Synchronization.

Data Science & Computation

• Languages: Python, MATLAB, C++, R, Swift, LaTeX, Fiji Macro, Go (Golang), Markdown.
• Image Analysis: Fiji (ImageJ), Imaris, CaImAn, suite2p, CIAtah.
• Tools: Git, VS Code, Jupyter, Prism Graphpad, LabView, Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Web Hosting, APIs.
• Design: Affinity Designer, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape.

Soft Skills

• Science Communication, Project Management, Supervision, Creative Problem Solving.

Microscopy Experience

A full list of my microscopy experience can be found here.

Scholarships

References

References are available upon request after contacting me here.

Publications

Hobbies