Our Team
Simon
Besson-Girard, MSc / GSN PhD student
I am captivated by the logic and the mechanisms behind biological phenomena and I use mathematics to formalise these concepts. Currently, I am busy conceptualising forces shaping microglia and B cell identity using single-cell genomics in aging and disease. I am from France but before landing in Germany, I have studied in Japan at the RIKEN. I am a bit of a stationery addict and my main hobby is studying myself through personal data collection.
Buket
Bulut, MSc / PhD student
I am fascinated by multitasking Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) family proteins. For my PhD project, I use molecular biology and animal models to understand multitasking MIF family effects on neurological disorders. I hope my work will contribute to the clinical approaches targeting MIF. I received my Bachelor in biology and my Master of Molecular Anthropology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Initially, I joined the Gokce lab for my master thesis but my project focus and my scientific surrounding led me to stay for my PhD. I enjoy biking tours in the Allgäu and afterwards a cheese tasting or visiting petting zoos.
Hao
Ji MD
/ MMRS PhD student
Originally from China, I finished the Clinical Medicine study at Nanjing Medical University in 2015 and received my master of Science in Medicine (Suegery) in Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2018. I joined the Gokce lab as a doctoral candidate in October 2018. My PhD work is aiming to establish genomics pipelines to speed the development of treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. Outside the lab, I like history, go hiking, traveling and exploring new places.
Lu
Liu MD
/ MMRS PhD student
I grew up in China, where I have gained my Master’s degree in Clinical Medicine of Neurology. In September 2018, I came to Germany and joined the Gokce lab as a PhD student. For my project, I use animal models and scRNA-seq to understand how multitasking Macrophage migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) alters the pathology of Alzheimer's disease and detect the secrets of glials cells in aging. I hope that I can contribute to improving human health. I love cooking, singing, painting and astrophysics in my spare time. Recently, I am enjoying making vlogs to record my life.
Qian Liu, PhD student
Originally from China! In 2021, I just received CSC scholarship and joined Gökce lab. Before that, I got my Master's degree from Peking University in June 2021, majoring in diabetic kidney disease. In the future, I want to learn more about bioinformatics and have a deeper understanding about Alzheimer's Disease. In my spare time, I like reading, watching dramas and visiting museums.
Peter
Androvič, PhD / Postdoc
Biological processes are driven by genetic regulatory programs acting within larger molecular and cellular systems. My goal is to understand the inner working of these systems, how it fails in aging and CNS disease, and how it can be repaired. To this end I utilize single-cell genomic technologies and computational analysis, which allows me to assay and model circuitry of the cellular networks. I am from Slovakia, and before joining Gokce lab in 2020 I did my PhD research in Prague, Czech Republic, where I was developing and utilizing technologies for microRNA and gene expression profiling. Besides research, I enjoy gym, playing badminton, board games (actually any kind of sport or game), hiking, and re-watching the same sitcoms for the hundredth time.
Tuğberk
Kaya,
MSc
/ GSN PhD student
(co-mentored with Mikael Simons)
I am originally from Turkey, where I have finished my Master's studies in Neuroscience, with a focus on bioinformatics. Currently, I'm using single cell transcriptomics tools to study mechanisms of glial cell activation in the context of aging and Alzheimer's Disease. In my spare time, I enjoy watching sports, playing video-games and the occasional workout session.
Fumere
Usifo
, MSc / LabManager
Within our team, I run and maintain the genomic pipelines. I enjoy being able to reveal biological complexities with the different technologies that we have established in our lab. I grew up in Swabia, Germany, and I have lived in the UK for several years. Before moving back to Germany and joining the Gökce lab, I completed my MSc degree at Imperial College London. In my spare time, I love being in nature, and I go to the gym. I express my creative side by making jewellery and doing resin art.
Yijing Wang/ PhD student
I come from China. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Fuzhou University, China in 2017. After
that, I furthered my study at Tongji University, focusing on mesenchymal stem cell therapies for neuroinflammation. In 2020, I received the LMU-CSC
scholarship. I joined AG Gökce in 04/2021. In my spare time, I like playing the violin and playing ping-pong.
Jona
Golemi / MD student
Originally from Albania, I am now living and studying Medicine in Munich. I joined the Gökce lab in February 2018, and for my MD thesis, I use molecular biology and animal models to understand multitasking MIF family effects on neurological disorders. I hope my work will contribute to the clinical approaches targeting MIF. In my spare time, I like to go hiking, read and go dancing.