Areas of Expertise and Research Interests:

• Biotechnology & biochemistry: My research focuses on the production of chemicals and
  small molecules using different microbial host systems including filamentous fungi, yeast and
  bacteria.
• More than 10 years of research experience with filamentous fungi and yeast especially with Aspergillus niger, Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Trichoderma reesei.
• I use metabolic engineering and directed evolution as technologies to modify and redirect
  natural metabolic pathways.
• I am convinced that understanding the spatial and structural organisation of metabolic
  pathways is a key to design new and efficient production processes. Therefore, I pursue to
  investigate and characterize cellular transport processes.

Scientific career and education

Oct. 2014 – present
Senior Scientist and working group leader, Area Systems Biology and Microbial Cell Factories, Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib), Vienna, Austria

Oct. 2018 – present
Lecturer and faculty member, Doctoral School Bioprocess Engineering at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna

Sep. 2011 – present
Lecturer in the bachelor program for bioengineering, Department Applied Life Sciences, FH Campus Vienna (University of Applied Sciences)

Feb. 2014 – Sep. 2014
Post-doctoral research fellow with Prof. Arthur Ram and Prof. Peter Punt, Institute of Biology, University Leiden, The Netherlands, funded by the acib educational program

Sep. 2010 – Feb. 2014
Scientist, Area Systems Biology and Microbial Cell Factories, acib, Vienna, lab of Prof. Diethard Mattanovich and PD Dr. Michael Sauer

Aug. 2010
PhD (Graduation with honors), title: “Engineering an N-acetylneuraminic acid synthesis pathway into Hypocrea (Trichoderma)”, at TU Wien Supervisor: Univ.Prof. Dr. Robert L. Mach

Sep. 2007 – Oct. 2010
Doctoral studies and Research Assistant, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering at TU Wien

May 2007
Master thesis, title: “Der Aktivator Xyr1 und seine Bedeutung für den Laktosemetabolismus von Trichoderma reesei“ Supervisor: Univ.Prof. Dr. Robert L. Mach

Oct. 2001 – May 2007
Master studies in Technical Chemistry with specialization in biochemistry and biotechnology, TU Wien

Feb. 2005 – June 2005
ERASMUS, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain

Achievements, Prizes

• 2017 Panel A rating for an ERC Starting Grant (not sufficient money for funding available)
• 2015 Meeting Attendance Grant
• 2010 INITS PhD Award 2010 – Category Life Sciences
• 2007 Participant TUtheTop (2007) – High Potential Program of TU Wien
• 2005-2007 Advancement scholarship grants, Faculty of Chemistry, TU Wien

A complete publication list can be accessed via my ORCID profile http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8985-2343