“I go to schools as a science ambassador because I want to tell young people about the importance of scientific research in our daily lives, using ticks and tick-borne diseases as an example. By doing so, I hope to inspire young adults to pursue careers in science and appreciate scientific research's value to society. As a science ambassador, I feel privileged to have the opportunity to share my knowledge and enthusiasm with young people who are often curious about these topics and ask great questions.”

• 2 Besuche pro Semester
• Bevorzugte Regionen: Wien
• Besucht gerne folgende Schulstufen: SEK II
• Keine anfallenden Kosten für die Schule
• Besuche ausschließlich auf Englisch, Antworten sind auf Deutsch möglich

Forschungsschwerpunkte

• Using molecular biology and microbiology tools, we investigate ticks and tick-borne pathogens.

Aktuelle Projekte

Immune responses to meat allergens (alpha-gal syndrome): Alpha-gal syndrome is a meat allergy caused by an oligosaccharide found in mammal tissues, except for humans, old-world monkeys, and apes. Symptoms include delayed allergic reactions, sometimes leading to anaphylactic shock. Tick species like Ixodes ricinus and Amblyomma Americanum can transmit alpha-gal through their saliva, prompting further research on the link between ticks and this allergy.

Projektlink

Host-pathogen-vector interactions: We utilize a silicone membrane-based artificial feeding system to feed ticks in order to study host-pathogen-vector interactions. This allows us to examine the transmission dynamics of pathogens such as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, which is responsible for Lyme borreliosis. Our research investigates important questions, such as the duration of tick feeding required for pathogen transmission, how ticks contract infections, and the potential for prevention of pathogen transmission.

Projektlink

Auszug aus dem wissenschaftlichen Werdegang

I studied life sciences at the Saxion University of Applied Science, Deventer, the Netherlands, focusing on molecular microbiology. After obtaining my bachelor’s degree, I started working at the Utrecht Center for Tick-borne Diseases (UCTD), which was headed by Professor Frans Jongejan and was based at the faculty of veterinary medicine of the Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. This is where my interest in ticks and tick-borne diseases started.

In December 2013, I moved to Vienna, Austria, to continue my scientific career at the Medical University of Vienna in the group of Professor Gerold Stanek. Here I could continue my work on ticks and tick-borne pathogens as an independent researcher, leading to several scientific publications. In October 2018, I started my PhD studies under the supervision of Professor Hannes Stockinger and with the support of professors Gerold Stanek and Per-Eric Lindgren. After successfully defending my PhD thesis, “Ecology and Transmission Dynamics of Human Tick-Borne Pathogens”, I obtained my PhD in July 2022.

In September 2020, I took over the lead of the research group from Professor Gerold Stanek after his official retirement.