About me
I am a Researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. My research focuses on the genetic architecture of risk and prognosis of inherited diseases.
Research description
The main aspect of my research is to understand the genetic architecture of inherited diseases and how genetics influences disease severity and progression. While it is important to identify the precise genetic mechanism and pathway underlying disease risk and to shed light on the missing heritability, this knowledge alone will not be sufficient to effectively eliminate the burden of genetically determined diseases. Therefore, my research aims to understand the involvement of genetic factors in the consequence of diseases, particularly for diseases with limited or without treatment options since understanding the genetics of disease severity and progression is a potent method to identify novel targets for treatment. In addition, I am interested in understanding how diseases are genetically related in order to shed further light on the underlying genetic architecture and to potentially identify novel treatment options, since a shared genetic basis can point to shared treatment opportunities. Finally, my research focuses on alternative and less explored genetic markers such as somatic mosaicism of sex chromosomes, which are currently emerging as an important marker for both risk and severity of diseases and may have important implications for risk prediction and disease management.
Academic honours, awards and prizes
2018 Leopoldina Postdoc Fellowship
2016 Travel Grant “RD Meeting Travel Grant” 2016 (Kyoto, Japan)
2016 Pro Retina “Makula-Forschungspreis” (Excellence in Visual Science Award)
2015 Distinguished PhD-Thesis Award (University of Regensburg)
2015 Travel Grant “ARVO Travel Grant“ 2015 (Denver, Colorado, USA)
2012 ProRetina Travel Award (RD Meeting 2012)
2009 Alumni Award University of Regensburg
2009 ProRetina Poster Award