Group Members

Spring 2021

Matthias Altmeyer
Research Group Leader

Born and raised in
Germany

Scientific education and research experience
2020 – present: Associate Professor of Quantitative Cell Biology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
2014 – 2020: SNSF Assistant Professor, Principal Investigator, University of Zurich, Switzerland
2010 – 2014: Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Danish Cancer Society & Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Copenhagen, Denmark
2007 – 2010: Ph.D. Candidate (Molecular Biology), University of Zurich, Switzerland
2001 – 2006: Diploma Candidate (Biology), University of Konstanz, Germany

Research interests
Genome instability in cancer and aging
Chromatin modifications in response to DNA damage
Cancer-specific alterations in the cellular DNA repair network and their therapeutic potential

E-mail


Ralph Imhof
Research Technician

Born and raised in
Switzerland

Scientific education and research experience
2007 – present: Lab Technician mbA, IT-Management & Support, Financial Controlling, University of Zurich, Switzerland
2005 – 2007: Lab Manager & new Lab Establishment, Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, Dept. of Biochemistry & Dept. of Molecular Genetics, Canada
1998 – 2005: Lab Technician, IT-Management & Support, Institute for Veterinary Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Zurich, Switzerland

Research interests
Protein Purification & Protein Interaction Methodologies
Molecular Biology
Analytical & preparative HPLC

E-mail


Andreas Panagopoulos
Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Born and raised in
Greece

Scientific education and research experience
2020 – present: Postdoctoral Research Scientist, University of Zurich, Switzerland
2014 – 2019: Ph.D. student, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Greece
2017: Visiting Ph.D. student, Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Mainz, Germany
2012 – 2014: M.Sc. Applications in Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Greece
2008 – 2012: B.Sc. Department of Biology, University of Patras, Greece

Research interests
Checkpoint maintenance
DNA replication & DNA repair
Functional imaging

E-mail


Antonio Galarreta
Postdoctoral Research Scientist

Born and raised in
Spain

Scientific education and research experience
2021 – present: Postdoctoral Research Scientist, University of Zurich, Switzerland
2016 – 2020: Ph.D. Student, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Spain
2014 – 2015: M.Sc. Molecular Biomedicine, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain
2009 – 2014: M.Sc. Biochemistry, University of Zaragoza, Spain

Research interests
Cell cycle and checkpoint maintenance
DNA replication and DNA repair
Role of ubiquitin and SUMO in genome stability

E-mail


Merula Stout
PhD Student (Molecular Life Sciences Program)

Born and raised in
Austria

Scientific education and research experience
2020 – present: Ph.D. student (Molecular Biology), University of Zurich, Switzerland
2018 – 2020: M.Sc. Technical Chemistry (Biotechnology and Bioanalytics major), Technical University Vienna, Austria
2014 – 2018: B.Sc. Technical Chemistry, Technical University Vienna, Austria

Research interests
DNA replication & DNA repair
DNA damage response
DNA/RNA sequencing and microscopy techniques

E-mail


Julia Vornberger
PhD Student (Molecular Life Sciences Program)

Born and raised in
Germany

Scientific education and research experience
2021 – present: Ph.D. student (Molecular Biology), University of Zurich, Switzerland
2018 – 2021: M.Sc. Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
2015 – 2018: B.Sc. Biological Sciences, University of Konstanz, Germany

Research interests
DNA replication and replication stress response
DNA damage and DNA repair
Cell cycle regulation

E-mail


Virginia Pasti
PhD Student (Molecular Life Sciences Program)

Born and raised in
Italy

Scientific education and research experience
2023 – present: Ph.D. student (Molecular Biology), University of Zurich, Switzerland
2020 – 2023: M.Sc. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy
2017 – 2020: B.Sc. Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Italy

Research interests
DNA repair pathways
Cell cycle regulation and progression

E-mail


Aurore Allard
Master Student

Born and raised in
France

Scientific education and research experience
2022 – present : M.Sc Molecular Biology, Lund University, Sweden
2019 – 2022: B.Sc double degree of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Nice, France

Research interests
Genome instability in cancer and aging
DNA damage response
DNA replication and micronuclear dynamics

E-mail


Sandhya Manohar
Junior Group Leader (SNF Ambizione Fellow)

Born and raised in
United States

Scientific education and research experience
2021 – 2024: Postdoctoral research, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
2015 – 2020: PhD Chemical Biology, Harvard University, USA
2011 – 2015: BA Mathematics and Biology, New York University, USA

Research interests
Cell cycle control
Cell size regulation
Genome stability

E-mail


Lab Alumni