I began my undergraduate studies in October 2007 at TU Dortmund University in Germany, pursuing a BSc and MSc degree in Chemical Biology. Subsequently, I pursued a Ph.D. in the lab of Daan van Aalten at the University of Dundee (Scotland), focusing on understanding how the O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), recognizes its diverse range of substrates and to use this knowledge for structure-guided inhibitor/drug development. 

After my Ph.D., I sought to transition into the field of infection biology and cryogenic electron microscopy. As a result, I joined the lab of Lars-Anders Carlson at Umeå University (Sweden) to work on elucidating the mechanisms underlying alphaviral genome replication. In addition, I solved the structure of human adenovirus F41, a causative agent of diarrhoea and childhood mortality. This breakthrough revealed substantial differences in the viral capsid architecture, shedding light on the virus's ability to recognize and infect specific host cells. 

In September 2023, I started my own research group at the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. In my lab, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms through which viruses modify mitochondria to facilitate viral replication. Our comprehensive approach combines x-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and in situ cryo-ET with techniques from biochemistry, cell biology, and virology. The knowledge gained from our studies will contribute to the development of novel antiviral strategies.