Hi there, I’m Simon. Thanks for coming along :)
about me: I am a molecular biologist and a data scientist based in Munich, Germany. I am driven by discovery first and excitement second which means that I still enjoy solving puzzles but what ultimately motivates me is the direction of the work.
In my PhD research I am studying the the effects of mitochondrial DNA mutations across healthy human tissues in ageing and in psychiatric disease. More generally put, my scientific interests lie in how gene regulatory effects are mediated over time and how we can find the cellular states and molecular correlates underlying biological phenotypes. To learn more about this, I am using a combination of large–scale statistical genetics and single–cell & spatial multi–omics approaches with the objective to inform experimental validation. In these endeavours I am greatly supported by my PhD advisor and mentor Dr. Na Cai at Helmholtz Pioneer Campus, my co–advisor Dr. Matthias Heinig at the Institute of Computational Biology, and more recently by our close collaborator Dr. Paolo Casale also based at Helmholtz Pioneer Campus. I am a member of the graduate program provided by the Munich School for Data Science (MUDS) and was awarded the Add-on Fellowships for Interdisciplinary Life Science granted by the Joachim Herz foundation.
Before starting my current position, I studied Molecular Biotechnology in Munich and Heidelberg where I did my master thesis on deep learning approaches for single–cell data integration with Prof. Oliver Stegle at the German Cancer Research Center and pursued multiple experimental and computational research internships in four different countries both in academia and the private sector. I also hold an additional professional degree as a laboratory assistant in the field of chemistry.
Outside of work, I like to spend time running & hiking the outdoors and singing in choirs. I also think about the societal implications of science and technology a lot and how the political discourse can be based on empirical findings. Along those lines, I co–founded and coordinated the local branch of the climate activist group scientists for future in Heidelberg while I was still based there.
tiny CV (tldr)
- since 2020: PhD studies in statistical genetics and single–cell & spatial multi–omics at Helmholtz Pioneer Campus in Munich
- 2016 - 2020: M.Sc. Molecular Biotechnology at Heidelberg University
- 2013 - 2016: B.Sc. Molecular Biotechnology at Technical University of Munich
- 2011 - 2013: higher vocational school in Landshut, Germany
- 2008 - 2011: voccational trainig as a lab technician in Freising, Germany
full CV
- you can find my full CV here: link
