Can you describe your path from the Coon lab to your current role at the University of Vienna?

After my post-doc in the Coon lab, I was looking for positions that allow me to do independent research, and my interview in Vienna gave me a chance to present myself and get an idea of the people and research in the department. I would say mutual sympathy and interest led me to take the position. My position is similar to an entry-level tenure-track position in the U.S. I am responsible for securing funding, teaching lectures, and mentoring students at various education levels, from bachelor to doctorate.

My collaborations with outstanding researchers at the Coon lab taught me a lot about interesting biology, especially about bioactive peptides in host-symbiont relationships. This is the main reason I’m now pursuing a career in peptidomics, an emerging field in mass spec-based proteomics. Peptidomics is mostly about bioactive peptides, which are pervasive across the tree of life, playing key roles in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, and immune systems. My group is especially interested in antigenic peptides in immunotherapy, bioactive peptides controlling host-symbiont interactions, and antimicrobial peptides, naturally occurring antibiotics to fight multi-drug resistant pathogens. The work in my lab work is mainly computational right now, though I hope to soon expand into in the wet lab as well.