Author Archives: Nathalie Clerc

Welcome to Hanna Schwämmle !

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Hello everyone, my name is Hanna and I am joining the Vastenhouw group as a Postdoc.

I am from Germany and have recently completed my PhD in Geneva, where I worked on chromatin remodeling. In particular, I have been using omics technologies to uncover novel modulators of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler complex. For my Postdoc, I am excited to start working on understanding the process of zygotic genome activation in the developing zebrafish embryo. 

Outside the lab, I enjoy going hiking and exploring the Swiss mountains. I love the summers here and like to meet friends for an afterwork dip in the lake Geneva! 

I’m looking forward to joining the CIG and meeting all of you!

Welcome to Charlotte Grometto !

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Hi everyone! My name is Charlotte Grometto, and I recently joined Nadine Vastenhouw’s lab as a technician for one year.

I grew up in Geneva and obtained my bachelor’s degree in Biology and my master’s degree in Molecular Plant Sciences at the Université de Genève (UNIGE). During my studies, I got very interested in the essential part technicians play in research and decided to look for a technician position after graduating. Before joining the CIG, I worked for ten months as a Research Technician in Plant Physiology at Universiteit Utrecht (UU) in the Netherlands. Through previous experiences, I discovered various subjects and approaches like phylogenetics, botany and microscopy, but I mostly worked on environmental stress responses in plants. I also encountered fascinating organisms of interest such as snakes, scorpions, Arabidopsis thaliana and potatoes!

For the year ahead, I am especially enthusiastic about working with Zebrafish for the first time. I will be contributing to Eleonora Perego’s project on gene movement during early embryonic development through live imaging and molecular techniques. I’m very excited to expand my understanding of transcriptional regulation along the way.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, listening to podcasts and trying out new fun hair colors whenever I get bored with the old one. I look forward to meeting you all!

Welcome to Burhan Uzunöner !

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Hello! 

My name is Burhan, and I am very happy to start my PhD studies in Christian Fankhauser’s team ! 

Previously, I did my bachelor’s in molecular biology and genetics at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, where I come from. Then, I completed my master studies in the lab of Luis Lopez-Molina in the University of Geneva, studying the seed coat anatomy in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, I will continue to work on Arabidopsis, focusing on the regulation of air channel formation in their hypocotyl. 

I also like cooking, playing basketball, and birdwatching. 

I am looking forward to meeting you all!