Field of research

Bio- and Chemical Engineering of Lichens

My research at Technical Biochemistry (TU-Dortmund) focuses on harnessing the unique biochemistry of lichen symbiosis for the development of next-generation sustainable pharmaceuticals. We operate at the intersection of natural product chemistry, metabolic engineering, and computational biology.

Core Research Areas

• Natural Product Discovery: We identify and characterise pharmaceutically active metabolites from lichen species, exploring their potential as novel therapeutics.
• Biosynthesis and Regulation: Our work aims to uncover the key genetic and environmental factors that control the production of these valuable compounds within the symbiotic system.
• Predictive Modelling: We develop and apply AI-driven computational models to analyse genomic data and predict novel bioactive compounds from their biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs).

Long-Term Vision

The ultimate goal is to establish a robust and sustainable biosynthetic platform for the large-scale production of lichen-derived medicines. By integrating experimental (in vitro) and computational (in silico) approaches, we aim to accelerate the drug discovery pipeline from natural sources.

Join or Collaborate

I welcome inquiries from prospective students and potential collaborators who are passionate about this field. Please feel free to contact me via email to discuss opportunities.