I research how the cytoskeleton gives cells their shape, positions organelles, moves materials, and divides cells. I use biochemical and engineering approaches to uncover the mechanisms that generate its architecture. My research reveals how cellular structures are built and how malfunctions occur, which lie at the heart of many diseases involving cell proliferation and cancer.

Awards and Achievements

  • NIH New Innovator Award
  • Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences ( 2014-2016)
  • Kimmel Scholar for Cancer Research ( 2014-2016)
  • NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) ( 2012-2016)
  • Postdoctoral HHMI Fellow of the Life Science Research Foundation ( 2009-2011)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation (declined) ( 2009)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Human Science Frontier Program (declined) ( 2009)
  • EMBO Long-term Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research ( 2008)
  • FEBS Young Scientist Prize for best presentation, 7th FEBS Young Scientist Forum Vienna, Austria ( 2007)
  • Young Investigator Award for best poster and best lecture, 40th Anniversary Meeting Spetses, Greece ( 2006)
  • Max Perutz Student Price for Outstanding Research, MRC Lab. of Molecular Biology Cambridge, UK ( 2005)
  • Ph.D. Scholarship by Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds ( 2003-2006)
  • College Scholarship for University of Cambridge from Medical Research Council, UK ( 2003-2006)
  • World Health Organization Scholarship, Bureau for Leaders in International Organizations, Germany ( 2003)
  • German National Merit Foundation / Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes ( 2001-2003)