About my scientific interests
I have a long-lasting passion for patient-relevant research. My main scientific interest has always been in development and cancer. I am particularly curious on how stem cells interact with their cellular environment and how this interaction shapes stem cell identity and fate in health and disease. These criteria are essential in order to generate a functional organ of correct size, cell composition and function. Precisely understanding the major principles controlling stem cell behavior is thus crucial to unravel essential molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumor development and to establish novel cancer therapies.
Please find my short academic CV below:
Throughout my career, I have aimed for dedicated training at the interface of basic and clinical cancer research (PhD studies in the Lab of Professor Maria Sibilia at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria) and gaining expertise in elegant genetic models mimicking a patient-relevant setting for in-depth analysis of the key genes critically governing correct tissue formation at single cell resolution (postdoctoral work in the Lab of Professor Simon Hippenmeyer at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria).
Since September 2022 I have joined the Department of Neurology, Division of Neuropathology and Neurochemistry (led by Professor Romana Höftberger) at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. Here, I can perfectly combine my strong expertise in developmental neuroscience and oncology to establish a research program bridging fundamental basic research with clinical neuro-oncology to achieve a translational research output. This combination is key to me, since gaining a detailed basic understanding of the oncogenic downstream effects of mutations and the main pathways driving tumor initiation and growth is the stepping-stone towards the design of novel effective therapies for our cancer patients.