Benedikt Markus Email & Phone Number

This postgraduate training provided comprehensive insights into the health sector. I developed expertise in the institutional & regulatory frameworks of health systems, including insurers, regulators, & health policies, while also gaining an in-depth understanding of the key processes involved in bringing pharmaceuticals, advanced therapies, & medical devices to market. This equipped me to manage projects & drive product development in this sector.⭐️ Graduated top of class (98%)⭐️ Elected leader of 9-member team for 3-week case study assessing market potential of a drug candidate (NOX-A12 by TME Pharma AG)🔷 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 & 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴◆ Financial accounting (balance sheets, income statements, cash flow)◆ Managerial accounting (cost accounting, forecasting)◆ Capital budgeting for investment evaluation◆ KPIs for performance tracking🔷 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁◆ Traditional & agile (Waterfall, Scrum, Kanban)◆ Tools: MS Project, Jira, Asana◆ Managing timelines, resources, stakeholder communication🔷 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴◆ Developing mission, vision, & brand strategies aligned with corporate objectives◆ Devising marketing plans via the marketing management process: situation analysis, SMART goals, strategy, 4Ps, implementation, control◆ Market research using tools like PESTEL, SWOT, BCG Matrix🔷 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀◆ Clinical trials management (ICH GCP, Arzneimittelgesetz)◆ Market authorization in Germany & EU (NP, CP, DCP, MRP)◆ Medical device regulations (MDR, IVDR)◆ Intellectual property protection (patent law, market exclusivity, orphan drug status)🔷 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀◆ Pricing & reimbursement mechanisms (e.g., AMNOG)◆ Health Technology Assessment (HTA) & health economic evaluations (e.g., cost-effectiveness, budget impact)◆ Stakeholder engagement strategies (regulators, payers, healthcare professionals)🔷 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁◆ GxP guidelines, ISO standards

Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany

During my management consulting internship, I worked on strategic and operational projects across two industry sectors. In the Life Sciences Practice, I applied my biomedical science background to conduct market research and devise growth strategies for biotech clients. Transitioning to the Telecommunications & IT Practice, I refined my consulting skills in an unfamiliar domain, co-managing fiber-optics infrastructure projects nationwide and implementing operational process improvements.𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 & 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 🔷 Conducted commercial due diligence and developed a business strategy for a Swedish biotech firm in drug discovery services.◆ Led market research through desk research and 20+ interviews with industry experts and customers, synthesizing insights on competition, customer needs, and technology trends.◆ Collaborated with stakeholders from the investor client and the biotech firm to co-develop a growth strategy leveraging advanced product/service offerings. 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮, & 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 🔷 Supported a major German provider of fiber optics and 5G infrastructure in achieving expansion goals.◆ Monitored 100+ infrastructure projects, curating insights for weekly steering board presentations; developed a prioritization framework to resolve critical project stalls, facilitating strategic portfolio management. ◆ Coordinated project reassignments between the client and contractors, creating a manual and moderating an employee workshop to streamline processes for the transfer of critical data and materials.◆ Led a study on integrating fiber-optic lines with legacy copper wiring in buildings; established criteria for copper adaptability through research and expert interviews, estimating per-building costs and total market size for copper adaptation or fiber-optic upgrades in Germany.

Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

After leading the economic turnaround of this fitness center company, I transitioned into the role of Project Manager & In-House Consultant. I tackled structural challenges in our 33-year-old family-owned business, driving modernization to improve operational efficiency and performance. These initiatives resulted in sustained net membership growth for the first time in five years, far surpassing the industry average.⭐️ Achieved a 12.8% net membership increase in 2022, the first growth since 2016, vastly exceeding the industry average of 2.6% by refining digital marketing strategies and customer service workflows to boost loyalty and acquisition.⭐️ Increased financial team productivity by 33% through streamlining accounting processes with digital workflows.⭐️ Cut response times for repairs and customer interactions, improving our Google rating from 3.8 to 4.2 stars in two months by migrating to cloud-based work order and complaint management systems.⭐️ Led a company-wide rollout of Microsoft 365, enhancing operational efficiency, communication, and collaboration with tailored setups for Exchange Server, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams.⭐️ Reduced energy consumption by over 15% during the 2022 energy market crisis, with minimal impact on customer satisfaction, through a thorough analysis of customer traffic, energy usage, and expenses.

Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Amid my ongoing postdoctoral research, an unforeseen call to action redirected my career trajectory. Our family’s fitness-center company, severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, needed urgent leadership. With membership down by over 20% and significant financial deficits, my mission was to stabilize operations, restructure the 32-year-old family business, initiate recovery, and ensure continuity by hiring and training a successor CEO.🔷 Led a team of over 50 employees, including 8 direct reports.🔷 Managed operations of two fitness and wellness centers with over 4,500 members, daily foot traffic of 500+, and €3.7 million in annual revenue.⭐️ Reopened the business in my first month after a 7.5-month mandated closure, instituting safety protocols and re-engaging the membership base.⭐️ Redesigned the product strategy to meet post-pandemic market demands and launched targeted online marketing campaigns, halting customer attrition and achieving net growth.🔷 Managed the company’s financial health, collaborating with advisors to secure government COVID-19 relief funds, reducing expenditures, and optimizing resources to mitigate financial strain.🔷 Led the digital transformation of key operations, including accounting, sales, work orders, and customer service, enhancing efficiency and service quality.🔷 Cultivated personal and transparent communication with all employees, assuring and motivating staff during a period of widespread uncertainty.⭐️ Stabilized the business without layoffs, maintaining high service standards and reversing the economic downturn.⭐️ Ensured seamless leadership transition by recruiting and training a successor CEO.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

In my postdoctoral research, I generated the first genome-wide, experimentally derived map of transcription start sites in Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite of humans and animals. This work included a computational study into the structure and sequence motifs governing gene regulation, representing a significant advance in the field and providing a crucial resource for functional genomics studies.⭐️ Published 4 research articles in peer-reviewed journals—including two as the first author—and contributed data tracks to the official Toxoplasma genome database for community access.🧬 Developed a 5′-end RNA-sequencing protocol to generate comprehensive genome-wide data on transcription initiation in Toxoplasma gondii.🧬 Utilized Python and R for next-generation sequencing data analysis, creating custom workflows for unique data structures.🧬 Mapped transcription start sites for 91% of Toxoplasma genes, correcting 69% of previously annotated gene models (5′ UTRs).🧬 Defined nucleotide and nucleosome-positioning patterns that direct transcription initiation at Toxoplasma promoters.

Cambridge, Ma, Usa

As a PhD student, I established new CRISPR-based molecular tools for genome engineering in Toxoplasma gondii, facilitating drug mechanism of action and resistance studies. My dissertation, “Chemical-genetic approaches for drug target identification in the parasite Toxoplasma gondii,” aimed to advance antiparasitic drug development.⭐️ Published 2 first-author research articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at 4 international conferences (3 talks, 1 poster), winning Best Poster award at Toxoplasma Congress 2017.⭐️ Taught 2 practical laboratory courses (30+ students each); mentored and trained 3 students; served as an expert reviewer for scientific journals.⭐️ Won €64,000 PhD fellowship by Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (top 7% of applicants).🧬 Critically enhanced the efficiency of CRISPR-mediated gene-essentiality screens by refining systems for Cas9 expression.🧬 Pioneered novel CRISPR-based tools (CRISPRi & CRISPRa) for transcriptional modulation in Toxoplasma gondii and established guidelines for their effective use.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

In an interdisciplinary study, I coordinated research across three laboratories to investigate the structural activation mechanism of a Toxoplasma gondii kinase crucial for the parasite’s pathogenesis. We uncovered a previously unknown mechanism of kinase activation and demonstrated the feasibility of inhibiting this kinase by targeting the identified mechanism. This work provided a novel molecular target for therapeutic intervention, opening new avenues for antiparasitic drug development.⭐️ Published a first-author research article in a peer-reviewed journal and presented findings at an international conference.🧪 Discovered a new allosteric mechanism of kinase activation mediated by calcium binding, termed “molecular-splint”.🧪 Dissected kinase activation mechanism by rationally mutagenizing and purifying 25+ kinase variants, and assaying their enzymatic activity.🧪 Identified an antibody (nanobody) that blocks kinase activation by disrupting the "molecular-splint" mechanism, opening new avenues for antiparasitic drug development.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Building on my discovery of a nanobody inhibitor of a key Toxoplasma gondii kinase, I secured a Novartis research grant and led an industry-academia collaboration to identify novel allosteric inhibitors of this critical parasite kinase. The goal was to uncover a new class of small-molecule leads for antiparasitic drug development.⭐️ Secured a highly competitive Novartis research grant to lead drug discovery collaboration.🧪 Developed novel biochemical assays for macromolecular complex formation and kinase activity (Alpha- and fluorescence-based).🧪 Adapted biochemical assays for high-throughput screening, analyzing 40,000+ chemical compounds for activity.

Bocas Del Toro, Panama

Marine ecology field study on food preferences of the coral predator Coralliophila.

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

González-Suárez Laboratory | Oncogenic transformation and cancer metastasis.

Hamburg, Germany

Spielmann Laboratory | Protein and lipid trafficking in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Brisbane Und Umgebung, Australien

Wainwright Laboratory | Characterizing a novel mouse model for cerebellar ataxia.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Molecular Biology

Program requirements fulfilled at MIT; thesis defended and degree received from University of Freiburg

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Molecular Medicine

In residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Non-Award Exchange Program During Bsc (Two Semesters), Biological And Biomedical Sciences

Conducted BSc research at the UQ Institute for Molecular Bioscience

Diploma (Msc) In Molecular Medicine, Biochemistry And Cell Biology

Conducted MSc research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology