Jena – Doctoral students Katjana Schwab and Ulas Isildak have been awarded Add-on Fellowships from the Joachim Herz Foundation to advance interdisciplinary research at FLI. The foundation supports up to fifty doctoral students and postdocs annually, providing flexible funding (up to €12,500 over two years) to explore research at the interfaces between life sciences and fields such as physics, computer science, mathematics, and technology.
Katjana Schwab – A biochemist in her fourth year at FLI, Katjana works in Prof. Dr. Dr. Steve Hoffmann’s group on the project “Characterization of RFX7-MYC antagonism”, supervised by Dr. Martin Fischer. Her research focuses on understanding the interplay between the tumor suppressor RFX7 and the oncogene MYC—preliminary findings indicate that RFX7 may act as MYC antagonist, inhibiting rapid cell proliferation. By combining biochemical techniques with mathematical modelling, she aims to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, potentially offering new insights into cancer progression and novel intervention strategies. Katjana plans to use her fellowship to attend conferences and take courses in bioinformatics and mathematical modelling.
Ulas Isildak – A bioinformatician in his second year, Ulas is a member of Dr Handan Melike Dönertaş’s research group. His project “Repurposing host WGS data to investigate microbial content in blood and its relationship with aging and age-related diseases,” focuses on the phenomenon of microbial translocation resulting from a weakened gut barrier in older individuals. Ulas is developing a computational method to quantify this process and, with his fellowship support, will receive molecular biology training to experimentally validate his approach. Successful validation will enable him to assess the impact of microbial translocation across different age groups and conditions, potentially revealing new mechanistic insights and intervention targets. Ulas also intends to invest in conference attendance and wet lab courses.
‘We are delighted about the additional funding from the Joachim Herz Foundation. It not only supports our personal development but also enhances the interdisciplinarity of our research by allowing us to acquire new skills and methods,’ the scholarship holders report proudly.
Both doctoral students are part of the Leibniz Graduate School on Aging (LGSA), a joint initiative with the Friedrich Schiller University Jena that provides excellent training and research conditions for obtaining a doctoral degree.
