Current Members
Andrea-Rafaela Nicolaidou (Speaker)
(Since 2023) Hello, my name is Andrea Rafaela and I come from Cyprus. I just started my first year of PhD with Prof. Dr. Rössler in the Behavioural Physiology and Sociobiology department, after also completing my BSc and MSc here in Würzburg. I am interested in the integration of different sensory (olfactory and visual) modalities in the honeybee, as it is essential in their foraging behaviour.
With my participation in the DRC, I hope to build my own network within the doctoral student community and help others do the same by organising events and guiding them through their studies.
Franziska Dusi (Deputy)
(Since 2024) I am Franzi and I'm currently working on my PhD on 3D adipose tissue models for breast cancer research at the UKW.
During my Masters in Medical Immunoscience and Infection, an international program in Bonn, I got in contact with students from all over the world. I've always enjoyed and profited from the subject-specific, but especially the informal exchange with my fellows and I'd love to continue that by joining the DRC.
Being in my second year, I can already offer some experience and helpful advice for new students, but with at least two more years to go, there is still some time to learn more and contribute to the GSLS organization.
Mail: dusi_f@ukw.de
Salma Abosabie
(Since 2024) My name is Salma Abosabie. I am a forth year medical student and first year Masters of translational medicine student in JMU Würzburg. I am also a medical doctoral researcher in the MD Excellence thesis program of the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS) conducting the lab work for my doctoral thesis at the Yale Cancer Center and Yale Cardiovascular Research Center. I have secured funding from various German scholarships to fund my stay in the US.
I have always enjoyed scientific research and have worked with different research groups in the past 6 years which results in various publications as co author in peer reviewed journals. My dream is to follow the physician scientist track as Cardiologist after I graduate from med school.
I want to apply for the DRC to be able to help my fellow GSLS MD/ PhD candidates and connect with likeminded people. Given my thesis stay abroad, I want to help my colleagues with securing research stays abroad and the necessary funding needed for such stays.
Miriam Campillo Prados
(Since 2024) My name is Miriam Campillo Prados and I come from Spain. I studied my Bachelor in beautiful Sevilla, did my Erasmus in Würzburg and liked it here so much that I decided to come back... and here I am now. In May I started my PhD in the group of Dr. Martin Vaeth. My project mainly focuses on the metabolic changes of innate and adaptive immune cells upon infection of S. aureus.
Apart from science, I really enjoy connecting with people, organising events and helping out other students going through same situations. As I do not want my PhD to be only a professional experience, but also a personal one, I decided to join the Council.
Peter Frost
(Since 2024) Hi, my name is Peter. I´m in my first year of PhD. After finishing my BA at the Julius-von-Sachs-Institute, I switched my field of interest to something with more medical content during my Master. Now, at the Institute of human genetics, I want to establish in my PhD a testsystem for variants of uncertain significance for my gene of interest ATM.
I joined the DRC to give some help back I got when I started studying. Be it helping organizing social events for PhD students, connecting with fellows or helping out with emotional support if these or that experiment is going bad, I will have an open ear for everyone.
Anastasiya Grinko
(Since 2024) Hi there! My name is Anastasiya Grinko, and I’m currently pursuing my PhD in single-cell sequencing at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research.
I started my academic journey with a Franco-German Bachelor’s program in Saarbrücken and Strasbourg, and later, I joined the FOKUS Life Sciences program at the University of Würzburg for my Master’s thesis. Along the way, I discovered my passion for connecting with people and organizing impactful initiatives. I worked as a student tutor and had the privilege of chairing EUREKA! 2024. These experiences taught me how much I enjoy bringing people together, making things happen, and creating meaningful experiences.
That’s why I decided to join the DRC! I’m excited to support students, organize fun events to help everyone take a break from the busy PhD life, and foster open communication between PIs, the GSLS, and PhD student community.
Gurumoorthy Amudhan
(Since 2022) Hi, I am Guru, a first-year PhD student. I started my PhD in September 2021 in the group of Prof. Christian Häring associated with the department of biochemistry and cell biology at the biocenter. I am a biochemist with a special interest in structural biology. I work primarily on condensin, a motor protein complex involved in chromosome assembly. The focus of my PhD is to understand the mechanism of how condensin with other factors regulates gene expression on a chromosome-wide scale.
I see DRC as a platform to build a network with fellow students from GSLS. In DRC, I want to help improve the overall quality of the PhD experience and build on my networking and organizational skills.
Nicolas Hagedorn
(Since 2022) Hi, my Name is Nico and I just started my second year as a PhD student in the group of Prof. Janzen (Dep. of Cell- and Developmental Biology). I work with Leishmania parasites to understand how they establish an infection within their mammalian host cell (Macrophages). I came to Würzburg in 2013 for my Bachelor’s and stayed for my Master’s and PhD.
In the past I’ve already organized our department's seminar series with external speakers well as a PhD Retreat. I think my organizational and team-working skills are a good requisite for the DRC and I hope to strengthen my skills even further with my work for the DRC.
Daniel Rodriguez
(Since 2022) Hi, my name is Daniel Rodríguez, I am a Colombian biologist with a great interest in Behavioral and Chemical Ecology. I started at the end of 2020, after finishing my MSc in Biosciences at the JMU-Würzburg. I am analyzing, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmitt and Prof. Dr. Ricarda Scheiner, the function of cuticular hydrocarbons of honeybees as climatic adaptations and communication cues/signals.
In the DRC I see a good networking and socializing opportunity, which will enable me to aid and assist my fellows throughout their doctoral studies.
