Biography

I obtained my master's degree in Crop Biotechnology and Entrepreneurship from the University of Nottingham, followed by a master's degree in Molecular Life Sciences at the University of Bern, where I studied genome structure and phylogeny in Eragrostis species. I then joined a joint PhD program between ETH Zurich and Agroscope, where I completed my PhD in Microbiology and Immunology. My doctoral research focused on naturally occurring antifungal resistance in the yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium pullulans, combining experimental microbiology with computational genomics and phylogenetic approaches. In 2024, I joined the Institute of Parasitology at the University of Zurich as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Adrian Hehl.
 

Research Interests

My current research focuses on understanding the gene-regulatory programs that drive developmental transitions in Toxoplasma gondii. I combine experimental molecular biology with computational multi-omics approaches, integrating transcriptomic and epigenomic data through RNA-seq, CUT&Tag, differential expression analysis, clustering, pathway analysis, and transcription-factor target identification. I am particularly interested in how sequentially expressed AP2 transcription factors activate or repress stage-specific gene programs across the parasite life cycle, including transitions from asexual to sexual developmental stages. More broadly, I am interested in developing and applying reproducible computational approaches to understand complex biological systems through the analysis and integration of genomic, transcriptomic, epigenomic, multi-omics, and other high-dimensional biological data.