I am Lisa Bertrand, hailing from Paris. I am a naturally curious, dynamic, and open-minded individual. I am thrilled to join you as a postdoc at CIG in October. With immense enthusiasm, I embark on this exciting new professional journey, and I would like to share a few words about myself.

With a background in Immunology, my thesis focused on defining the translatome of HIV-1 to identify novel conserved antigens. Using ribosome profiling, I revealed over a hundred alternative reading frames (ARFs) spread across the genome that undergo translation during infection. I also highlighted immune responses (T-cells) against peptides derived from these ARFs in individuals with varying clinical statuses.

While my background is in immunology, the study of immune response was fascinating but less intellectually stimulating compared to the genomics-related questions that this project ignited. Over the past three years, I have developed a profound interest in translation, from both biological and bioinformatics perspectives, with a particular zest for non-canonical biological processes. Consequently, I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Dr. Gatfield’s team.

Expanding horizons and embracing continuous growth have been the hallmarks of my professional and personal journey. I thrive in social interactions, vast landscapes (hiking), have a deep appreciation for music, and sports. Swapping city shoes for hiking shoes, I can’t wait to discover the charm of Lausanne and its surroundings. I am eagerly looking forward to meeting each of you and actively engaging in the scientific and social life of CIG!

Hi, it is Gizem Parlak. I just came from Turkey where I studied Molecular Biology and Genetics at Koç University and did my masters there in Biotechnology and Circadian Clock Laboratory.

During my master’s, I investigated mutations in one of the core-clock proteins regulating the clock, CRY2, and performed functional analysis.

Now, I am glad to join the Gatfield’s group. In a former study, they discovered that Cry2 is regulated by NMD. I will investigate this further, if it is caused by the length of 3’UTR or if there are some other factors involved.

Personally, I love reading, art, history, mythology, and I perform marbling art. Recently, I got hooked on K-Drama, so you can recommend me series when you see me around 😉

You all have a nice day.

We bid farewell to Dr. Thomas Auer and his lab members, Justine Pascual and Enrico Bertolini, who have moved to the Department of Biology at the University of Fribourg on September 1st.

We wish them all the best in their new group at the University of Fribourg!