January 7, 2026
Announcing recipients of early-career fellowships and grants
In 2025, early-career researchers at the FMI secured highly competitive fellowships and grants, including postdoctoral fellowships from the European Molecular Biology Organization and the Human Frontier Science Program. These awards are internationally recognized for supporting outstanding research.
Burak Gür was awarded a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) postdoctoral fellowship, which funds innovative and interdisciplinary research in the life sciences across international borders. Burak comes from Istanbul, Turkey, and obtained a PhD from the International Max Planck Research School for Neurosciences at the University of Göttingen, Germany. There, he studied visual processing and developed genetic tools to probe neural circuits. In 2024, Burak joined the Felsenberg lab to investigate how the brain encodes the timing of experiences. His research centers on the molecular and neuronal mechanisms that allow the brain to track the intervals between events, shedding light on how temporal information influences memory formation.
Julio Liu was awarded an European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) fellowship, which support outstanding postdoctoral researchers for up to two years, and a Novo Nordisk Foundation postdoctoral fellowship for research in bioscience and basic biomedicine. Julio is originally from Hong Kong and earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, before moving to Copenhagen, Denmark, to complete his PhD. In October 2024, he joined the Schübeler lab as a postdoctoral researcher. He is currently studying how certain transcription factors, called small Maf (sMaf) proteins, help control which genes are turned on or off in our cells. These proteins can either activate or repress gene activity, depending on the partners they pair with. His work aims to advance our understanding of how these proteins help cells respond to stress, with broader implications for health and disease.
Elisa Kreibich was also awarded an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship. Originally from Berlin, Germany, she earned her PhD in epigenetic gene regulation jointly at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg and the University of Heidelberg, where she studied how DNA methylation impacts enhancer activity. In November 2024, Elisa joined the Liberali lab as a postdoctoral researcher to investigate the molecular mechanisms of regeneration and cellular plasticity in the human colon epithelium — processes essential for tissue maintenance but often hijacked by colon cancer cells. Her research focuses on how epigenetic modifications and transcription factor networks regulate these regenerative programs, combining high-throughput imaging with genomics approaches in human colon organoids. This work aims to reveal of how healthy regeneration is controlled at the molecular level and how its dysregulation contributes to diseases.
Umut Kilik was awarded a Peter und Traudl Engelhorn Foundation Postdoctoral Scholarship, granted to outstanding early-career life scientists and awarded to only about 5% of applicants. Umut is from Turkey and earned his PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Basel and the Roche Institute of Human Biology. In May 2024, he joined the Turco lab as a postdoctoral researcher, where he studies how the inner lining of the uterus regenerates without scarring during menstruation — a remarkable yet still poorly understood process. Using organoid models and spatial transcriptomics, he investigates the interactions between immune and epithelial cells that enable this regeneration, with the goal of uncovering insights relevant to reproductive disorders and women’s health.
Dennis Goldschmidt received a DFG Walter Benjamin Fellowship, which supports early-career researchers conducting independent projects abroad; he has until February 2026 to decide whether to accept the award. Originally from Northern Germany, Dennis earned his PhD in neuroscience at NOVA University Lisbon. In 2023, after stints at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon and HHMI Janelia in the United States, Dennis joined the Felsenberg group to explore how the brain retrieves memories based on context. Working in fruit flies, his project investigates how the brain uses different types of sensory information—such as olfactory and visual cues—to either trigger or block learned behaviors. To do this, he combines advanced imaging techniques, virtual reality, and behavioral tests. This work may help us understand how memory retrieval can fail in conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Nazerke Atinbayeva was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), which provide funding for researchers of all nationalities to conduct postdoctoral work at Swiss institutions. Originally from Kazakhstan, Nazerke earned her PhD in epigenetics at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Germany. In January 2025, she began her postdoctoral research in the lab of Marc Bühler. Her current work focuses on understanding Helsmoortel–van der Aa syndrome (HVDAS) — a rare genetic disorder caused by spontaneous mutations in the ADNP gene, which plays a crucial role in brain development. She uses stem cells and lab-grown models of early human embryos, known as gastruloids, to study how specific mutations — found in individual patients — affect development.
Nanci Winke was also awarded a SNSF Postdoctoral Fellowship, as well as a prestigious SNSF Ambizione Grant, which supports outstanding scientists in establishing independent research programs. The other recipients of last year’s Ambizione Grants are Arnau Ramos Prats and Lukas Anneser. You can read more about their projects here.
