I am currently exploring membrane repair mechanisms in opportunistic human-pathogenic fungi.In my new project funded by the WGS Postdoc Talent Programme, I have teamed up with Eveline Snelders' lab and will focus on the environmental mould, Aspergillus fumigatus, including strains resistant to membrane-damaging antifungal drugs.Dissecting the molecular basis of how fungal cells respond to various forms of membrane damage is expected to provide further insight into stress adaptation and points of vulnerability in pathogenic fungi.

In this project, I am investigating the role of calcium-dependent membrane repair mechanisms in the commensal microorganism Candida albicans, which is a major cause of fungal infections in humans.

In this research project at the Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) in Exeter (UK), which was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), I visited Alexandra Brand's research group to work together on the role of the calcium-binding protein, Pef1, in membrane integrity and cell polarity in Candida albicans. The goal of this ungoing collaboration is to identify links of Pef1 to molecular factors involved in calcium homeostasis and signaling.

I was exploring molecular mechanisms of stress adaptation in the opportunistic human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus in David Askew's research group. This mold, which is a microorganism widely spread in the environment, can cause life-threatening infections in people with a weak immune system - with limited diagnostic and therapeutic options compared to bacterial or viral infectious.With these studies, I aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of fungal infections in humans from the molecular point of view, which could help to identify novel therapeutic targets in pathogenic fungi. Some important questions are: How does Aspergillus survive and adapt to the conditions in the human body? How does this fungus interact with immune cells? Which molecular pathways enable this and other pathogenic fungi to tolerate the immune response and antifungal drugs?I am excited to be part of the scientific community studying the biology and genetics of this diverse group of microorganisms and their large impact on humans, animals and plants - from fungi that are industrially used as resources for food products, chemicals and drugs, to their role in nature and ecosystems, as well as those fungal species that cause infectious diseases.

In my doctoral thesis in André Fleißner's research group at the Institute of Genetics, I studied the molecular basis of cell-cell communication and fusion using filamentous fungi as model systems. This process is an integral part of many higher forms of life, including cells in the human body.In detail, I analysed mutants of the saprophytic fungus Neurospora crassa affected in the biosynthesis of sterols, a key constituent of eukaryotic plasma membranes. Using a combination of live-cell imaging (including the subcellular localization of signalling proteins), targeted kinase inhibition (chemical genetics), Western blotting and GC-MS analyses, I have shown a specific correlation between a protein kinase cascade essential for cell-cell interactions and the structural features of the accumulating sterol intermediates.As a part of my PhD thesis, I also studied the necrotrophic plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea and found that proteins belonging to a conserved reactive oxygen species-generating system, which are essential for host infection, are also crucial for cell-cell interactions.In addition to my research projects, I was responsible for the mentoring of undergraduate students. Apart from teaching techniques of molecular genetics and cell biology, I put also emphasis on general concepts of scientific research and writing.Participating at several international conferences has strongly enhanced my knowledge on diverse aspects of fungal growth and development as well as methods available to investigate these species.

In my Master studies, I self-organized a stay abroad and worked as a research trainee in the Department of Genetics in Córdoba, Spain, supervised by Antonio Di Pietro and David Turrà . In that training, which was supported by an Erasmus fellowship, I compared the chemotropic growth of the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum and of Neurospora crassa towards nutrients, pheromones and diffusible plant components. This research experience laid the foundation for my keen interest in fungal genetics and biology.