PhD Students
Johanna Altmann
I studied Molecular Biology at the University of Vienna. After finishing my master studies in 2012, I joined the CCHD PhD program. I am working in the lab of Prof. Irene Lang, using a mouse model of venous thrombosis to study B cells and natural IgM in thrombus resolution.
E-Mail: johanna.altmann@meduniwien.ac.at
Rico Ardy
I completed my Biology B.S. at University of California, Los Angeles before completing a Cancer Biology Master of Research from Imperial College London in 2013. I joined the laboratory of Kaan Boztug in March 2015 as a PhD student, focusing on the identification of novel monogenetic causes of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD), and the elucidation of the molecular mechanism underlying the pathophysiology of the disease.
E-Mail: RArdy@cemm.oeaw.ac.at
Shreyas Bhat
I have a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Padmashree Dr. D. Y. Patil University (India). I am currently working in Prof. Michael Freissmuth’s group as a CCHD PhD student at the Institute of Pharmacology. My PhD project focuses on the dopamine transporter (DAT), which retrieves dopamine from the synaptic cleft. Mutations in DAT result into misfolding and ER retention with phenotypic consequence being infantile/juvenile Parkinsonism. In my PhD project, I propose to express these DAT mutants in Drosophila melanogaster and to restore their function in vivo with pharmacochaperones.
E-Mail: shreyas.bhat@meduniwien.ac.at
Szabolcs Biro
Early on during my Bioengineering degree I became fascinated by the brain. To understand the asics of neuroscience, the synaptic organisation and functional interactions between neurons in a network, I applied to, and was accepted as a volunteering student in Prof. Peter Somogyi’s laboratory at the MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit in Oxford. Later I joined the group as a Research Assistant to fund my Pharmacology MSc studies at the University of Oxford. During the course, I spent my time focussing on the neuropharmacological approach in particular. My project in Prof. Thomas Klausberger's lab tackles the question how anatomical inputs correlate with the electrophysiological activity of neurons during goal directed behaviour.
E-Mail: szabolcs.biro@meduniwien.ac.at
Cornelia Bonstingl
I received my Bachelor degree in Chemistry and my Master in Biochemistry from the University of Vienna. Half a year I went on exchange to the University of Warwick, UK with the help of the Erasmus program. I have started my PhD in the laboratory of Prof. Hannes Stockinger at the Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology mainly focussing on T-cell signal transduction.
E-Mail: cornelia.bonstingl@meduniwien.ac.at
Markus Brown
I received my Master Degree’s in “Biomedical Sciences” from the University of Utrecht and in “Biotechnology and Bioanalytics” from the Technical University of Vienna. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD studies in the Clinical Institute of Pathology at the Medical University of Vienna under the supervision of Prof. Dontsch Kerjaschki. My scientific interests lie within cancer biology, vascular biology and immunology. My research focuses on initial “seed and soil” mechanisms during lymph node metastases and the characterization of novel marker proteins of blood and lymph endothelial cells.
E-Mail: markus.brown@meduniwien.ac.at
Martina Bucsaiova
I finished my studies of Immunology at the University of Edinburgh in 2013 by completing a thesis on the role of natural IgM in renal and hepatic ischaemia reperfusion injury. Following a year in industrial oligonucleotide production in Belgium I returned to academia to start a CCHD PhD at the Medical University of Vienna. I work in the laboratory of Prof. Christine Mannhalter where I focus on platelets and their role in immunology, in particular in the detection of bacteria during infection.
E-Mail: martina.bucsaiova@meduniwien.ac.at
Stela Chausheva
I received my Master’s degree in Cell Biology and Pathology in 2014 from the University of Sofia, Bulgaria. I went on exchange to the Institute Albert Bonniot in Grenoble, France, receiving support from the Erasmus program. In March 2015 I joined the CCHD program under the supervision of Irene Lang investigating inflammatory driven thrombosis using mouse model of stagnant flow venous thrombosis.
E-Mail: stela.chausheva@meduniwien.ac.at
Manuel Dominguez
I studied Biology at the University of Seville and finished my Master in Biomedicine at the University of Granada. I am currently in the CCHD PhD program, working on my thesis in the lab of Prof. Stefan Böhm at the Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology. The focus of my project is to determine the role of hydrogen sulfide in the autonomic nervous system.
E-Mail: manuel.dominguezrodriguez@meduniwien.ac.at
Judit Fazekas
I studied Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna with an internship in Zürich. After finishing my Master’s in 2013, I joined the CCHD PhD program under the supervision of Prof. Erika Jensen-Jarolim. My research focuses on the development of cancer vaccines and immunotherapies against EGFR-overexpressing malignancies.
E-Mail: judit.fazekas@meduniwien.ac.at
Aniko Fejes
I completed my Bachelor Studies at the University of Pécs (Hungary) in the field of Experimental Biology in 2011. Afterwards I finished the Medical Biotechnology Master Program at the Medical School in the same city, specializing in cell and tissue technology. Currently I’m working in the laboratory of Prof. Christine Mannhalter as a PhD student in the CCHD Program. My research focuses on bacteria-triggered immune responses by human platelets.
E-Mail: aniko.fejes@meduniwien.ac.at
Hend Gafar
I completed my Bachelor Studies at the University of Applied Sciences IMC Krems in the program “Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology”. Afterwards I continued with my Master at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Vienna in the program “Biomedical Engineering Sciences” where I specialized into Cell and Tissue Engineering. I compiled my master thesis at the Centre for Brain Research in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. Currently I am in the CCHD PhD program, working on my thesis in Prof. Böhm’s lab at the Department of Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology. The project I am working on includes the investigation of the functional interactions between P2Y receptors and ion channels.
E-Mail: hend.gafar@meduniwien.ac.at
Thea Gorki
I received my BSc in Molecular Medicine from the Albert-Ludwig University Freiburg, Germany where I wrote my Bachelor-thesis under the supervision of Prof. Philipp Henneke at the Center of Chronic Immunodeficiency. Afterwards I moved to the UK to study Molecular Medicine (MSc) at the Brunel University, West London. Since September 2013 I am part of the CCHD program and started to work in the lab of Prof. Sylvia Knapp at CeMM, the Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Research Lab of Infection Biology at the Medical University of Vienna. My PhD project mainly focuses on systemic inflammation after infection with S. pneumoniae.
E-Mail: Tgorki@cemm.oeaw.ac.at
Jelena Gotovina
I completed my studies in Molecular Biology at the University of Vienna, including internships at IRB Barcelona and MPI Münster. I received my Master's degree in Neuroscience from the University of Vienna in 2012. My interests lie in the interaction between the immune and the nervous system. For my PhD thesis I am working on the stress modulatory potency of molecular allergens under the supervision of Prof. Erika Jensen-Jarolim at the Messerli Research Institute.
E-Mail: Jelena.Gotovina@vetmeduni.ac.at
Viktoria Hadschieff
I studied Genetics and Molecular Pathology at the University of Vienna and finished my master thesis in August 2014. Since then I am participating in the Cell Communication in Health and Disease PhD program and I am working in the lab of Prof. Sandkühler at the Center for Brain Research. The main focus of my work will be to assess the perception of chronic pain with means of in vivo electro physiology.
E-Mail: Viktoria.hadschieff@meduniwien.ac.at
Eva Hochbrugger
I studied Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna and Innsbruck until July 2008. After Med School, I started to work in the lab of Prof. Stulnig at the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, shortly interrupted by a maternity leave. In September 2009 I joined the Cell Communication in Health and Disease PhD program. I am working with cytokines interacting in adipose tissue inflammation and I want to elucidate the interplay between various cytokines in the obese adipose tissue.
E-Mail: eva.hochbrugger@meduniwien.ac.at
Ameya Kasture
I studied Molecular Neuroscience at the University Bristol, UK. Currently, I am working in the group of Prof. Michael Freissmuth at the Institute of Pharmacology. In my thesis project I am investigating the role of somatodendritically located serotonin transporters.
E-Mail: ameya.kasture@meduniwien.ac.at
Mate Kiss
I received my Master’s Degree in Medical Biotechnology at the Medical University of Pecs in 2013. Since September 2013 I have been pursuing my PhD studies within the CCHD program under the supervision of Prof. Christoph Binder. The main research interest of our lab is the contribution of innate, as well as adaptive immunity to the pathophysiology of atherogenesis. Within this context I am currently studying the role of a certain complement component in atherosclerosis.
E-Mail: mKiss@cemm.oeaw.ac.at
Markus Kraller
I concluded my bachelor studies of Molecular Bioscience at the University of Salzburg in 2012. Following an internship at the Charité Berlin I started my master studies in Molecular Biology at the University of Vienna, where I obtained a Master´s degree in October 2014.
In March 2015 I started my PhD studies with Hannes Stockinger at the Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna. My work, co-supervised by Johannes Huppa, is focused on the molecular dynamics of antigen recognition by cytolytic T cells (CTLs) with a particular emphasis on the role of the co-receptor CD8, which is known to sensitize CTLs for antigen.
E-Mail: markus.kraller@meduniwien.ac.at
Mira Kronschläger
I studied Molecular Biology with a focus on Neuroscience at the University of Vienna and finished my master thesis in September 2013. In March 2014, I joined the CCHD PhD program at the Medical University under the supervision of Prof. Jürgen Sandkühler at the Department of Neurophysiology at the Center for Brain Research. The aim of my thesis is to determine how glial-neuron interactions can drive synaptic plasticity in nociceptive pathways in an electrophysiological approach.
E-Mail: mira.kronschlaeger@meduniwien.ac.at
Anna Moskovskich
After completing my Bachelor program in Biology, I studied Medical Biosciences at the Linkoping University (Sweden) and “Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine” at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien (Austria). Since October 2013 I am a PhD student in the lab of Prof. Giulio Superti-Furga at CeMM. Within my project we aim to characterize the role of host solute carrier proteins in viral replication as well as confirm their function as new regulatory group of proteins in the antiviral immune response.
E-Mail: amoskovskich@cemm.oeaw.ac.at
Alex Nardo
I obtained my bachelor degree in Biomolecular Sciences and Technologies at the University of Trento (Italy) and my master degree in Medical Biotechnologies at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. During the master studies, from march 2013 to april 2014, I was also enrolled in an internship at the Prof. Carlo Pincelli’s Dermatological Research Laboratory of the General Hospital of Modena.
Since Biomedicine has ever been the branch of Science I prefer, I applied for a position in the CCHD program, and I’m currently working in Prof. Thomas Stulnig’s group at the Clinical Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Department of Medicine III of the General Hospital of Vienna. My project mainly focuses on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on a background of obesity and diabetes.
E-Mail: Alexander.nardo@meduniwien.ac.at
Tugrul Özdemir
I graduated from Bilkent University Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics with a minor in psychology. In my third year, I attended the University of California Davis as an exchange student where I carried out research in the field of cell biology. Before joining the CCHD program, I completed three neuroscience internships at the KU Leuven, Stanford University and University of Oxford. In my senior project, I investigated the effects of caloric restriction on zebrafish brain aging. Currently I am pursuing my doctoral project under the supervision of Prof. Thomas Klausberger at the Center for Brain Research. My interests include spatio-temporal organisation of cortical networks responsible for working memory, decision making and cognitive flexibility.
E-Mail: tugrul.oezdemir@meduniwien.ac.at
Rene Platzer
I studied Molecular Biology at the University of Graz and Immunology at the University of Vienna and achieved my Master’s degree in February 2013.
Since my master studies I am curious about how T helper cells recognize antigen on professional antigen presenting cells. That is why I was most eager to start my PhD in the laboratory of Prof. Hannes Stockinger under the supervision of Prof. Johannes Huppa at the Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology.
Using advanced imaging techniques, the primary goal of my PhD thesis work is to characterize the stimulatory capacity of antigen presenting cell plasma membranes in single-molecule detail and to study the influence of cell-intrinsic parameters on TCR-pMHC binding and TCR proximal signaling.
E-Mail: rene.platzer@meduniwien.ac.at
Florian Puhm
I completed a master’s degree in Molecular Microbiology and Immunobiology at the University of Vienna. In September 2014, I started as a PhD student in the lab of Prof. Christoph Binder at the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM) and the Medical University of Vienna. In my project, I study microparticles as modulators of inflammation and thrombosis.
E-Mail: fpuhm@cemm.oeaw.ac.at
Sutirtha Ray
I completed my medical education at Manipal University, India in 2012 along with a post-graduate diploma in medico-legal ethics from NLSIU, Bangalore. Further on, I did my Master's in neural and behavioral sciences from IMPRS, Tuebingen, Germany. I am currently enrolled at the CCHD program as a doctoral student in the lab of Prof. Stefan Boehm at the Institute of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, focusing on neuronal Kv7 channels as previously unrecognized targets for well-known analgesic drugs.
E-Mail: sutirtha.ray@meduniwien.ac.at
Simona Saluzzo
As a Medical Doctor I´ve always been interested in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine and after my graduation at the Medical University of Turin in 2010 I decided to start this promising and exciting research experience in Vienna! Since October 2011 I´m part of the CCHD doctoral program working on mechanisms of innate immune responses in the Laboratory of Prof. Sylvia Knapp, Laboratory of Infection Biology at the Department of Medicine 1 of the General Hospital of Vienna.
E-Mail: simona.saluzzo@meduniwien.ac.at
Martin Watzenböck
Martin completed his studies at the Medical University of Innsbruck in 2014 where he wrote his diploma thesis under the supervision of Prof. Michael Joannidis. In 2015 he joined the CCHD program and started his PhD in the lab of Prof. Sylvia Knapp.
His current project focuses on the role of B-lymphocytes of the lung under various circumstances."
E-Mail:martin.watzenböck@meduniwien.ac.at
Bettina Wanko
I studied Biotechnology at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna and at the Technical University in Stockholm. Since I’ve always been interested in the pathogenesis and treatment of diseases, I worked in the field of vaccine development in industry already during and after my studies. To obtain deeper insights into the molecular basis of chronic diseases, I started my PhD in Prof. Thomas Stulnig’s lab at the Clinical Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna. My research focuses on inflammatory processes underlying the development of type 2 diabetes. In particular, I am elucidating the impact of the cytokine and extracellular matrix component osteopontin on T cells in adipose tissue inflammation.
E-Mail: bettina.wanko@meduniwien.ac.at
