The complexity of life and its beauty at the molecular level leaves me with wonder and admiration over and over again. Doing science is a great privilege and we all shall practice with optimism, humility and happiness!

I was born and raised in Cologne. I was trained as a biology lab technician at the Caesar Research Center in Bonn, Germany. I am hungry for new experiences and skills both in science as well as outside the lab. Among my many hobbies, I spend most time dancing in a karneval society, blacksmithing and paragliding.

Born in Berlin, I did my bachelor's in Göttingen and my Master's at the FU Berlin and am very happy to have come to the lovely city of Cologne to join Simon in his lab. Understanding biology at the molecular level and overcoming the obstacles to gain new insights is an exciting task for which Cryo-EM is one of many valuable techniques. When not in the lab, you can find me on a basketball court or hiking in the Alps if I can make it there.

After completing my Bachelor and Master studies in Biochemistry at the University of Cologne and a 1.5 year research stay in Montréal (Canada), I am glad that I found my way to Simon’s lab for my PhD. I am driven by a deep fascination for the complex mechanisms of life. Even though I have fun working on very specific research questions, I always appreciate the beauty of the big picture. I am grateful that I now have the opportunity to gain more knowledge in the fascinating fields of epigenetics and structural biology and their involvement in health and disease – especially cancer. Outside the lab I love to meet friends, travel and do things that offer me new perspectives.

I like tea, mushrooms and structural biology

I would like to say that I chose to dedicate my life to science, but in all honesty, sometimes I think it is more accurate to say that science just captivated me. During my bachelor's studies in Biochemistry at the University of Cologne, I realized just how fulfilling working in the laboratory is. Researching how proteins, those brilliant little molecular machines, work and studying how "life" works on the molecular level leaves me in awe again and again. I am currently deepening my knowledge and understanding of the world during my Biochemistry Master's studies, striving to become an even better scientist each and every day.