What is your current position?
I am a postdoctoral researcher and Principal Investigator at the Bone Lab Dresden. Within the DIONE network, I am co-leading project A03 together with Prof. Sebastian Zundler (FAU Erlangen) that investigates how gut-derived immune cells contribute to inflammatory bone loss. Aside from DIONE I direct the interdisciplinary REGAGforBone consortium conducting preclinical tests in models of bone regeneration.
What is your main research focus?
My research focuses on how extracellular matrix components and immune signals regulate bone remodeling. I study how molecules such as glycosaminoglycans modulate pathways like WNT and RANKL/OPG, affecting osteoblast and osteoclast function. A key part of my work is the development of biomaterials that harness these mechanisms to improve bone regeneration under pathological conditions. Building on my previous work, we now investigate what may be the drivers of the bone loss observed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
What does your typical workday look like?
A typical day includes mentoring and exchanging ideas with students and postdocs, coordinating ongoing projects, and analyzing experimental data from in vitro and in vivo models. I participate in the education of medical students and interact with collaborators on grant proposals and publications. In the BoneLab I also take on lab responsibilities such as serving as the safety officer.
