Early stage researchers
ESR 1: Silvia Oggero
I was born on the 10th of December 1991 in Torino, a beautiful city next to the Alps.I completed all my studies in Italy and graduated in Pharmacy in March 2016 at the Universita’ degli studi di Torino. Before that I spent my last year of university at the William Harvey Research Institute (QMUL) as an Erasmus student where I wrote the thesis “Immuno-modulin a new target for emotional disorders” under the supervision of Prof Fulvio D’Acquisto. I love practising sports especially skiing and mountain trekking. I have also practised jazz dance since I was 7 years old and I can play the piano, moreover I also like painting, drawing and travelling.
I am currently attending my PhD at Queen Mary University of London, under the supervision of Prof Mauro Perretti. The topic of my research will be microvessicles and their role in inflammation and cell cross-talk.
ESR 2:Tipparat Parakaw
I was born in the ancient capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya, where the architecture and wall paintings represent Thai history. I moved to Bangkok to spend my college life in the Faculty of Pharmacy at Chulalongkorn University. A 5-year study of pharmacy made me realise that my most favourite subject is pharmacology. So I pursued my dream to study pharmacology by entering the Masters degree programme at Mahidol University in Bangkok. During my studies, I joyfully took part in a short-term research scholarship funded by the Asia-Europe Academic University Network (ASEA-UNINET) to work with an international research team at the Medical University of Graz in Austria.
As a pharmacist and pharmacologist, the exploration of new drugs is my primary intention. Fortunately, the EVOluTION family has given me a great chance to be an Early Stage Researcher (ESR). My project will explore the therapeutic potential of dietary nitrate mediated by xanthine oxidoreductase in hypertension, under supervision of Prof. Amrita Ahluwalia. I believe that this interesting project will definitely lead to the new target of drugs and dietary supplements in the near future.
ESR 3: Laura Menke
I was born in Germany and completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Justus-Liebig University, Gießen, Germany. I then went on to complete a Master of Biomedical Science in Biology of Disease at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, where I quickly found my passion for cardiovascular research. Following my first internship at the Department of Medical Physiology, UMC, Utrecht, I moved to San Francisco where I completed a project at the Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, UCSF, San Francisco. During this internship, I focused on the effect of the pro-resolving lipid mediator Resolvin D1 on macrophage function from patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease.
After gaining first insights into this research field, I was immediately fascinated by the idea of boosting the bodies endogenous anti-inflammatory mechanisms via dietary supplementation to decrease symptoms in vascular disease patients.In line with this interest, in January 2017 I will join Prof Warner’s group at QMUL to embark on my PhD which will examine the influence of dihomo-γ-linoleic acid supplementation upon platelet activation.
ESR 4: Angelina Pavlic
I am an ITN research fellow at the Department of Biochemistry at the Cardiovascular Research Institute in Maastricht. My PhD research is focused on the investigation of exosome driven calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells, and development of the platform of small active molecules that are able to inhibit activation of proteins such as SMPD-3, BMP-2, and BMP-4, and therefore suppress the calcification. I finished my Masters in Biological Chemistry at the University of Vienna, and performed the final research as the part of a project in fabrication of RNA microarray, using enzymatic approach. Prior to my Masters I studied Biochemistry at the University of Novi Sad, and graduated in 2013 with honors. I was born in 1990 in Sremska Mitrovica, in Serbia.
ESR 5: Jan Nagenborg
I am an immunologist and molecular biologist. I studied Biology at the Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf, Germany, from 2011 to 2014 and finished my B.Sc. with a bachelor’s thesis on human NK cells (supervised by Prof Markus Uhrberg). From 2014 to 2016 I continued my studies in the field of the human immune system by studying Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, Germany. During my Erasmus scholarship at the Aix-Marseille University, France, I worked at the Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML). Supervised by Dr Rebecca Gentek, I completed internships on the self-renewal capability of macrophages and subsequently wrote my master’s thesis entitled Macrophage Self-Renewal in Skin Healing and Regeneration in Dr Michael Siewekes group at the CIML. In October 2016 I joined Prof Erik Biessen’s Experimental Vascular Pathology group at Maastricht UMC+ where I am currently embarking on a PhD project investigating the role of macrophages in the atherosclerotic plaque.
ESR 6: Antonino Cacace
My name is Antonino Cacace and and I’m an Italian originally from Naples. I recently finished my studies (March 2016), obtaining my Masters of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the “Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II” in Naples and I’m so excited to join my new group as a PhD student here at University College Dublin (UCD).
I’ve always dreamt of being a scientist. I remember how fascinated I was when I was a very young boy watching pictures or movies about people wearing their white lab coats, trafficking around the labs and mixing colourful solutions. When I grew up I realized that there’s nothing more rewarding and satisfying then helping people recover from their illness and from my point of view this means trying to unravel the mechanisms involved in the genesis of several diseases and to develop new drugs and therapeutic agents to treat them.
As a PhD student here at UCD, I will be working on a project entitled “Therapeutic potential of pro-resolving Lipoxins in Diabetic Nephropathy (DN)”. Diabetic Nephropathy is a very severe microvascular inflammatory condition that can develop further into fibrosis and, at the very end, evolve into kidney failure. Some small lipid derived molecules, called lipoxins, and in particular the so-called Lipoxin A4, have shown very interesting and promising anti-inflammatory effects. They can bind a specific G protein coupled receptor, FPR2/ALX, and activate modulation and modification in micro-RNA and gene expression that result in a protective effect against fibrosis. The aim of the project is to study Lipoxins and other synthetic agents in order to develop new therapeutic approaches.
I’m very excited because this project gives me the chance to be involved in a very important and relevant field like Diabetes Complications and at the same time is an extraordinary opportunity to share knowledge, learn new techniques and improve my skills as a scientist.
ESR 7: Sanne Maas
I was born and raised in the Netherlands. I studied Health Sciences and Biomedical Sciences at Maastricht University. My interest in atherosclerosis was triggered during my internships at the department of Human Biology at Maastricht University and at the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK) at Ludwig Maximiliams-University. Throughout my internships I examined different aspects of atherosclerosis, such as lipid metabolism and inflammation. Now I have this great opportunity to start with a PhD program under the supervision of Professor Söhnlein at IPEK, Munich, Germany. My research focuses on creating liposomes which target the atherosclerotic endothelium and release their cargo at sites of high shear forces.
ESR 8: Rebecca Sienel
I was born in Munich in 1989 and completed my undergraduate degree, majoring in Molecular Biology at the University of Salzburg and Johannes Kepler University Linz in 2013. I went on to complete a Masters in molecular biology at the University of Vienna and did two internships: the first at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna / Austrian Academy of Science with Prof. Dr. Thomas Marlovits and the second at the Institute of Cancer Research Vienna, Division of Chemical Safety and Cancer Prevention with Prof. Dr. Bettina Grasl-Kraupp.
I joined Prof Nikolaus Plesnila’s group in October 2016, and my PhD project will be to establish the role of inhaled nitric oxide as a novel therapeutic for cerebral ischemia and possibly other ischemic disorders, and uncover the mechanisms underlying its neuroprotection. I decided to go to Nick’s group as the project sounded very interesting and I saw the opportunity to broaden my skills, especially in working with animal models and in neuroscience. I also really liked the working atmosphere and the team.
In my spare time I love to be in the mountains, either for hiking in summer or skiing in winter. I also enjoy going on trips on my mountain bike or seeing friends.
ESR 9: Chiara Moretti
I am a Molecular and Cellular Biologist from Cesena, Italy. I discovered the interest and passion for Pharmacology and drug development during my academic career at the University of Ferrara where I graduated in 2015. In the past few years, I have joined two different research groups within the Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Pharmacology of my University. Our research was aimed at finding alternatives to morphine, a potent analgesic whose usage is unfortunately limited by remarkable side effects. These very exciting projects along with the lively and stimulating academic environment that surrounded me for five years, reinforced my wish to pursue a career in the field of pharmacological research.
I am is also a member of AIRicerca, association and network of Italian researchers studying and working around the globe and willing to collaborate with each other, exchange information and divulge science.
In October 2016, I moved to Stockholm to start my PhD within the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet. Under the supervision of Prof. Jon Lundberg, my project will focus on the Nitrate-Nitrite-Nitric Oxide pathway and its impact on cardiovascular and metabolic function.
ESR 10: Monika Maciuszek
I was awarded a double Masters degree by the Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland and the University of Orleans, Orleans, France on a "Project Double Master Franco-Polonais". I completed this project in June 2012 and received the following two diplomas
- A Masters degree in Chemistry from
the University of Orleans. Specialisation: “Conception, Synthesis and Analysis of Bioactive Compounds” - A Masters degree in Chemistry from the Jagiellonian University. Specialisation “Biological Chemistry”
The goal of my Masters project was the synthesis and characterization of a luminescent marker for mapping of hypoxic tissues after stroke or cancer. In 2013 I graduated from University of Science and Technology in Krakow with Bachelor of engineering specialising in “Chemical Technology”. After graduation, I spent three years working as a scientist at Selvita, a drug discovery company. I have a keen interest in drug discovery and the chemistry of natural products and am looking forward to working at MRCT (under the supervision of Dr Andy Merritt) to identify and evaluate targets associated with vascular inflammation.
ESR 11: Ploingarm Petsophonsakul
I am a Thai national born in Germany. I spent my early childhood in Würzburg and moved to Thailand where I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology. After graduating, I gained invaluable experience working as a clinical product specialist for one year at Roche Diagnostics (Thailand) Ltd. I then decided to pursue my academic goal in higher education. I was able to subsequently explore novel discoveries in modern life sciences and obtain various skills in biotechnology on a Master’s degree program in Molecular Bioengineering at the Technische Universität Dresden, Germany. I chose to write my Master’s thesis on fragment-based drug discovery at the Institute of Pharmacology and Structural Biology, in Toulouse, France. I am very grateful for being given the chance to be an EVOluTION ESR, and work on this exciting project; “Nutraceuticals modulating the vascular vitamin K-system” supervised by Prof Leon Schurgers at CARIM, Maastricht University.
