Mara De Matos - Technician

Hima Priyanka Nadimpalli - Post-doctoral Fellow

Hima comes from India, where she did her Master’s in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Pondicherry University. She then moved to Barcelona in 2013 for her PhD at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in the group of Fátima Gebauer. During her PhD, she investigated the novel function of siRNA factor Dicer-2 in cytoplasmic polyadenylation of mRNAs in Drosophila.

She moved to Lausanne in March for her postdoc and she will investigate the molecular mechanisms and physiological consequences of daily rhythms in protein synthesis and their connections to the circadian clock.

Romane Meurs - PhD Student

Romane did her master internship in David Gatfield’s lab at the end of the spring semester and now she is back to CIG as a PhD student,

She is from Belgium, where she did her bachelor and masters’ degrees. She graduated recently in biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

During her PhD, she will first continue her internship project which is about translational regulatory function of the non-conventional translation factor eIF2D and its link with the circadian rhythm.

Sébastien Chamois - Post-doctoral Fellow

My name is Sébastien Chamois and I recently arrived in Lausanne after eight years as a student at Sorbonne University in Paris.

During these years, I developed a high interest for the study of gene expression and RNA regulation that motivated me to obtain a master’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I then joined, for my doctoral research, Dr Lionel Benard’s group (Paris) to study the degradation of altered mRNA by a cytoplasmic surveillance pathway (No Go Decay pathway) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

I discovered that the same enthusiasm towards RNA biology was shared by the Gatfield’s group that I am now grateful to join as a postdoc. At the CIG, I will study natural ribosome pausing and its importance for gene expression.

Enes Salih Arpa - PhD Student

I am Enes Salih Arpa, from Turkey. I am a medical doctor who graduated from Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine in July 2021.

By the beginning of my medical school years, I was very passionate to add a research angle on my clinical knowledge. Therefore I decided to do summer internships in order to improve my research skills. In 2017, I did an internship in Prof. Marie-Catherine Vozenin’s lab in the Radiation Oncology Department of CHUV. Following that year, I spent my summer in Prof. Hans Acha-Orbea’s lab in the Biochemistry Department of UNIL. After these two experiences, I did my third and fourth internships in Prof. Johan Auwerx’s lab in the Life Sciences Department of EPFL.

These internship experiences helped me to be involved in various molecular biology projects and enlarge my scientific perspective. That’s why I decided to do an MD-PhD following my graduation. I wanted to focus on RNA biology, in particular the role of some pathways linked to cancer development, during my PhD that could help me to combine my PhD project with clinics in the future.

Now, I am very pleased to join Prof. David Gatfield’s lab as an MD-PhD student. I will work on the positive-negative effects of nonsense mediated mRNA decay (NMD) inhibition on cancer formation

Gizem Parlak - PhD Student

Hi, it is Gizem. I just came from Turkey. 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 a series, anything involving a betrayal when you see me around.
You all have a nice day.

Lisa Bertrand - Post-doctoral Fellow

I am Lisa, 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!

Virginie Ricci - Bioinformatician

Hi everyone,

My name is Virginie and I recently started as a bioinformatician in the group of David Gatfield.
I studied Bachelor and Master at UniL, and did my PhD at UniBas. I am happy to be back, especially for sailing on the *Léman* lake!
Looking forward to meeting you all,

Cheers,

Vi

Lukas Behringer - Masters Student