Experience

Project PI

DFG CRC1182 “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms”

Principal investigator of Project C5.3, “Functional consequence of the Prevotella-to-Bacteroides enterotype shift in the human gut microbiome.”

Postdoctoral Researcher

Groussin & Poyet Lab, Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, UKSH & CAU Kiel

Research on the genomics and functions of host–microbiome systems, with a focus on large-scale human metagenomics, microbial genomic adaptation, and lifestyle-associated variation in gut microbial communities.

Guest Postdoctoral Researcher

Institute for Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Hannover Medical School

Guest postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Dirk Schlüter and PD Marius Vital.

Postdoctoral Researcher

Genetics & Bioinformatics, Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, UKSH & CAU Kiel

Postdoctoral research with Prof. Andre Franke on host genetics, microbiome analysis, and inflammatory disease.

Guest Postdoctoral Researcher

Bioinformatics and (Eco)-Systems Biology Lab, VIB/KU Leuven

Guest postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Jeroen Raes.

Education

Dr. rer. nat. Biology

Kiel University, Germany

Thesis: “The interaction of genetics, inflammation and the microbiome in the human metaorganism”. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Andre Franke. Grade: summa cum laude.

M.Sc. Medical Life Sciences

Kiel University, Germany

B.Sc. Life Science

University of Hannover, Germany

Collaborative Projects & Consortia

EU miGut-Health project
Leading data processing and meta-analysis for a central work package integrating metagenomic data from more than 5,000 IBD-affected individuals and more than 5,000 non-IBD controls.

Global Microbiome Conservancy
Analysis lead for flagship studies on host-genomic, environmental, and lifestyle influences on globally diverse human-associated gut microbiomes.

DFG CRC1182 “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms”
Principal investigator in the third funding phase and previous doctoral/postdoctoral contributor to projects on host–microbiome coevolution and lifestyle-associated microbiome shifts.

DFG RU5042 miTarget
Project support for data management, bioinformatics, statistics, and microbiome ecology in inflammatory bowel disease.

MiBioGen consortium
Data analysis lead and main contact for Kiel-based cohorts in microbiome GWAS/QTL analyses.

STORMS consortium
Contributor to standardized reporting formats in microbiome research.

COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative / Severe COVID-19 Study Group
Contributor to collaborative host-genetics analyses.

Skills
Research
Microbiome Research
Metagenomics
Host-Microbiome Systems
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Computational Skills
Bioinformatics
Statistical Data Analysis
R
Large-scale Meta-analysis
Research & Communication
Academic Writing
Grant Proposals
Supervision
Teaching
Funding & Awards
Shortlisted for AI Research Groups Lower Saxony
VolkswagenStiftung & Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture ∙ January 2026
Shortlisted for the zukunft.niedersachsen “AI Research Groups Lower Saxony” program and invited for panel presentation.
DFG CRC1182 Project PI Funding
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ∙ January 2024
PI of CRC1182 subproject C5.3, “Functional consequence of the Prevotella-to-Bacteroides enterotype shift in the human gut microbiome”; subproject funding volume €277,465.
Invited Participant, HUMAN-MICROSTAR Selection Symposium
Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research ∙ January 2024
Invited participant for the first HUMAN-MICROSTAR selection symposium at HZI Braunschweig.
Bruhn Foundation Award
Bruhn Foundation ∙ January 2023
Förderpreis der Bruhn-Stiftung for early-career researchers; funding volume €40,000.
DFG Sequencing Call
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ∙ January 2021
Sachmittelbeihilfe “Identification of microbiome-host genetics associations using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing”; funding volume €364,675.
Kiel Life Science Postdoc Award
Kiel Life Science ∙ January 2020
Postdoctoral award supporting research activities; funding volume €6,000.
CRC1182 Young Investigator Award
CRC1182 ∙ January 2017
Young investigator award within CRC1182; funding volume €15,000.
ZMB Young Scientist Grant
ZMB ∙ January 2017
Young Scientist Grant for doctoral students; funding volume €10,000.
Languages
100%
German Native
100%
English Fluent