Researcher's Profile

Research interests: 

• Molecular basis of human neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders
• Transporters in brain disorders
• Human Genetics
• Stem cell models of human neurological disorders
• Mouse models of human neurological disorders

Career highlights:

• From 09/2021 - Vice President for Science and Education, IST Austria
• Since 2019 – Full Professor at IST Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
• 2016 – Present Vice Chair of FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence
• 2014 – 2019 Assistant Professor, IST Austria
• 2010 – 2013 Postdoc Fellow, Joseph Gleeson Lab, UCSD, California, USA
• 2006 – 2010 Postdoc Fellow, Thomas Jentsch Lab, MDC, Berlin, Germany

Selected Grants and Awards:

• 2016 Boehringer Ingelheim FENS Research Award 2016
• 2016 ERC Starting Grant
• 2016 Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) Investigator Award
• 2016 appointment as FENS KAVLI Scholar
• 2015 – 2018 Partner in the SFB35 – Transmembrane Transporters in Health and Disease
• DFG Research 2 year fellowship
• CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy) young investigator travel award

Ongoing MolTag research projects as supervisor:

• Lena SCHWARZ: The role of ASD high-risk candidate genes on a cellular and molecular level

Ongoing projects as Co-Supervisor:

• Mojtaba TAVAKOLI: Expansion microscopy for molecular interrogation of neuronal specimen

Completed projects as supervisor:

• Jasmin MORANDELL: Illuminating the Role of Cul3 in Autism Spectrum Disorder Pathogenesis, finished 08/2020
  
• Dora TARLUNGEANU: Role of the LAT1 transporter in brain development and autism spectrum disorders, finished 02/2018
• Lisa KNAUS: The role of Slc7a5 in neurodevelopment and neuronal survival; finished 05/2023

Completed projects as co-supervisor:

• Eva GSCHAIDER-REICHHART: Red light controlled growth factor receptors in all optical drug screening, finished 11/2017
• Stephanie KAINRATH: Synthetic tools for optogenetic and chemogenetic inhibition of cellular signals, finished 12/2019