The Alumni Board represents the CeMM Alumni Network. Together with CeMM's Administrative Director, Anita Ender, they are the driving force behind all activities of the Alumni Network. We are very thankful for their precious time and support. 

Board Members

• Evren Karayel (Chair)
  After doing his PhD in the laboratory of CeMM Scientific Director Giulio Superti-Furga on innate immunity, Evren moved to Italy to do an MBA at the Bocconi University in Milan. Evren worked for Novartis and Amgen in different functions in the medical and commercial departments in Italy, Switzerland and Germany. Currently, he is Marketing manager for the Hematology portfolio of Amgen Italy.
   
• Katrin Ljunggren (Vice Chair)
  During her PhD at CeMM, Katrin introduced two strategies for the reproducible detection of membrane and surface proteomes. She is currently living in Stockholm (Sweden), where she works on introducing a patented coating technology preventing infections associated with medical devices to license partners worldwide.
   
• Ferran Fece de la Cruz
  Ferran’s adventures at CeMM started back in 2010 when he joined the lab of Sebastian Nijman as a PhD student. He spent five years growing up as a scientist and learning from the CeMM spirit, which definitely defined who he is today. Currently, he is  a postdoctoral research fellow in the lab of Ryan Corcoran at MGH Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA). In his present position, he is committed to developing new and effective therapies for gastrointestinal cancers.
   
• Adriana Gonçalves
  Adriana Goncalves is a Portuguese research fellow with a dual background in immunology and infectious diseases epidemiology. She carried out her PhD in the group of Giulio Superti-Furga and was one of the first CeMM PhD students. She continued her career at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), where she specialized in epidemiology and clinical research of infectious diseases. Adriana uses a combination of field epidemiology and microbiology techniques to address questions of public health importance, ranging from the elucidation of biological processes of infection to the identification of associated risk factors in different human populations. More recently she has been working on a network of integrated studies on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and malaria in Guinea Bissau. She is currently working for Novartis.
   
• Tatjana Hirschmugl
  Having finished her studies in molecular biology, Tatjana was given the opportunity to gain her first work experience at CeMM in the laboratory of Kaan Boztug (LBI-RUD Director and CeMM Adjunct PI). Working as a technician in the fast growing and competitive field of genetics of immune system disorders required constant development and adaptation to the advent of novel techniques as well as coping with challenges. Being immersed in the multidisciplinary and intercultural ‘Thinktank’ of CeMM certainly impacted her professional know-how and refined her critical mind-set. Above all, her time spent at CeMM was the foundation of many unique friendships that last far beyond the scientific life. Meanwhile, she has combined her scientific interest with artistic passion and works as a freelance scientific illustrator. She truly loves to devote her time to the simplification and contextualization of scientific projects and sharing the enthusiasm of collaboration partners from various biological fields.
   
• Erika Schirghuber
  As a Postdoctoral Fellow in the group of Stefan Kubicek at CeMM, she studied epigenetic enzymes and their contribution to cancer. Because of her experience in molecular biology and translational research at CeMM, she is passionate about translating our molecular understanding of cancer biology into the development of innovative, personalized therapies based on hypothesis-driven research, scientific excellence and data evidence. After postgraduate studies in pharma and medical law, sheis now working as a Medical Manager in a pharmaceutical company transforming current clinical practice and bringing precision medicine into routine care.
   
• Christopher Schliehe
  After his doctoral studies at the University of Konstanz (Germany), during which he studied cross-presentation in adaptive immunity, Christopher joined the emerging team of Andreas Bergthaler at CeMM as a postdoctoral fellow in April 2012. With Andreas, he investigated mechanisms of innate immune modulation by epigenetic modifiers, which led to the discovery of a novel circuit of Influenza virus-driven immune regulation. In summer 2016, he joined the Department of Immunology at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) as an assistant professor), and started his own research group on antigen presentation and immune regulation.
   
• Christian Schmidl
  Seeking knowledge in sequencing technology, Christian joined Christoph Bock’s group at CeMM for three years in 2013. After a great time at CeMM, he returned to Germany and started his own research group in the field of immunotherapy at the Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology (Germany).

• Ana Pudja
  She completed her PhD at CeMM in the group of Robert Kralovics between 2010 and 2015, with focus on investigating the genetics of hematological malignancies. This period allowed her to develop professional skills as a scientist, while employing cutting-edge technologies and collaborating with other scientists and clinicians. It also significantly contributed to shaping the profound intercultural, interpersonal and personal skills Ana has. After leaving CeMM, Ana obtained a project management education and IPMA certification. Passionate about contributing to the translation of scientific knowledge into improvements of cancer patient diagnosis and care, as well as to innovations leading to precision medicine, Ana is currently engaged as a CAR-T Cell Therapy Center Manager at The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.