Detail

What I offer

About me and what I offer:

I am an immunologist with a broad international perspective. I completed my undergraduate training in Austria, followed by a PhD in London and a postdoc in Oxford. For the past 10 years, I have been working at CeMM/MedUni Vienna at the interface of wet-lab and dry-lab biology. I am excited to share what I’ve learned along the way and provide you with first-hand insights into translational and basic research, as well as the realities of building a scientific career in both academia and industry.

Co-creating our agenda:

The specific topics we cover will be determined by the group during our first session and can be flexibly adapted as your needs evolve. Depending on the group's interests, I am I am very happy to dive into topics such as:

• Navigating your PhD studies and general career planning
• Organizing research stays abroad
• Preparing applications and understanding the national/international funding landscape
• The realities of work-life balance and combining a scientific career with family life (proud father of two)

Start thinking about what would be most helpful to you and we will build our roadmap together!

I offer also the topic "Studying with a child".

What I expect from the students

As you begin your PhD, I am stepping in as your mentor and not your supervisor. Because of this, we have the unique opportunity to meet as colleagues. I view mentoring as a highly communicative and discussion-based process. It is a dynamic exchange where we both contribute and benefit. To make our sessions successful, here is what I hope for and expect from you:

• Openness: A willingness to speak honestly about academic, personal, or strategic challenges.
• Proactivity: Initiative, enthusiasm for scientific research, commitment, and dedication.
• Collaboration: Respectful interaction and a genuine desire to learn from one another.
• Confidentiality: Strict adherence to keeping our discussions private, creating a safe space for speaking freely. 

Time constraints for meetings

To ensure our mentoring relationship is as effective as possible, you will be in the driver's seat. Our meetings will primarily focus on the topics and challenges that you feel are the most important to discuss.

As a baseline, we should aim to meet at least 6 times a year for about 1.5 to 2 hours each time. However, to really get the most out of these sessions, we should meet about once a month. For our first meeting, I suggest we meet in a seminar room at CeMM so we have a quiet, safe space to get started. After that, we can be completely flexible about where we meet.

Finally, please know that you don't have to wait for a scheduled session to reach out. If questions or challenges arise that need immediate attention, I am always happy to jump on a quick 1:1 call or meet in person.

What else I would like to say

I am a systems immunologist interested in the characterization of non-hematopoietic cells (structural cells), such as endothelium, epithelium and fibroblasts, and how they interact with the hematopoietic system across organs at homeostasis and upon perturbation (Krausgruber and Fortelny et al., Nature). I use high-throughput genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics technologies in combination with in vitro assays and in vivo mouse models to mechanistically dissect the underappreciated complexity of structural cells and their contribution to immune responses, thereby contributing to the emerging field of “structural immunity”.

In my independent research, I lead projects that dissect the role of structural cells during immune activation, with a focus on the initiation of the immune response and mechanisms that control resolution. Specifically, we investigate the role of interferon signaling in structural cells at homeostasis and upon viral infection. Furthermore, we are interested in the interplay of structural cells and T-cells. and how (miss)-communication between these cells can drive inflammatory diseases (Krausgruber et al., Immunity; Krausgruber and Schiering et al., Nature Communications).

Finally, I perform extensive translational research by providing my expertise in multi-omics profiling in collaborating with researchers from Vienna’s General Hospital (Krausgruber et al., Immunity; Rendeiro and Krausgruber et al., Nature Communications) and abroad (Moorlag, Folkman, Ter Horst, Krausgruber et al., Immunity).

Because my work spans basic mechanisms, advanced omics, and clinical translation, I am always very happy to discuss study design, technical challenges, or collaborative strategies with you during our mentoring sessions.