Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
My career has taken me from the chemistry bench to the front lines of oncology Medical Affairs. I bring the unique perspective of having helped create the therapies behind the clinical data. From discovering novel cancer therapeutics to driving scientific exchange with leading oncologists, I bridge drug discovery, clinical development, and Medical Affairs to accelerate patient impact. As a Medical Science Liaison in Lung Cancer at Johnson & Johnson, I partner with key opinion leaders to advance precision oncology, generate actionable medical insights, and contribute to medical strategy across cross-functional teams. My focus is translating complex science into meaningful conversations that improve clinical decision-making and ultimately benefit patients. Before transitioning into Medical Affairs, I trained at Stanford University and led innovative oncology drug discovery programs in academia and biotech. My work on next-generation kinase inhibitors and chemically induced proximity technologies resulted in two patents, multiple high-impact publications with internationally recognized researchers, and contributions to novel therapeutic approaches. More recently, I was honored with an EMEA-wide Johnson & Johnson award recognizing the strategic impact of my work in Medical Affairs. I'm passionate about translating scientific innovation into clinical practice and ensuring patients receive the best possible therapies in a rapidly evolving oncology landscape. If you're interested in oncology, Medical Affairs, scientific leadership, or translating innovation into patient impact, I'd be happy to connect.
Field-based Medical Affairs professional in Oncology with a focus on lung cancer, specifically EGFR-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through antibody and kinase inhibitor treatment. Responsible for strategic scientific exchange and high-impact engagement with leading KOLs, academic investigators, and clinical oncologists, supporting the advancement of oncology programs across development and lifecycle stages. Core responsibilities include driving medical insights generation, enabling data-driven scientific discussions, and supporting clinical development strategy through close collaboration with Clinical Development, Global Medical Affairs, and Commercial teams. Active contributor to external scientific education and internal medical strategy alignment. Therapeutic and functional expertise spans targeted therapies in lung cancer (EGFR-mutant NSCLC), oncology pipeline communication, and clinical evidence generation support, including real-world evidence and investigator-initiated studies (IIS). Key focus areas: + KOL engagement in lung cancer / thoracic oncology (EGFR-mutant NSCLC focus) + Medical Affairs strategy & field medical insight generation + Scientific exchange on targeted therapies & precision oncology + Clinical development support (trial awareness, site identification, IIS support) + Cross-functional collaboration (Global Clinical Operations, Commercial, Regulatory) + Scientific communication of oncology data & real-world evidence + AI enablement in Medical Affairs (workflow optimization, insight generation, team training)
Advisor: Prof. Nathanael S. Gray I drove multiple high-impact drug discovery projects at the interface of chemistry and biology. Acting as a chemistry lead, I designed and synthesized small molecules and bifunctional degraders (PROTACs and molecular glues), pushing forward structure-activity relationship (SAR) campaigns for difficult-to-drug targets, including kinases and Ras proteins. My work involved close collaboration with cross-functional teams, including biologists, structural biologists, AI/ML engineers/computational chemists and mass spectrometry experts, ensuring iterative data-driven optimization. Key contributions: + Led SAR efforts on kinase inhibitors, advancing a lead compound toward preclinical candidate nomination with improved potency and ADME properties. + Spearheaded the design and synthesis of bivalent degraders, expanding the degradable kinome. + Coordinated closely with CROs to streamline synthetic routes and scale-up processes, ensuring efficient resource usage. + Actively contributed to startup projects (e.g., Shenandoah Therapeutics), balancing academic innovation with translational goals. + Regularly presented project strategies to faculty, collaborators, and corporate partners, aligning priorities and accelerating timelines.
+ Conducted >10 interviews with medical oncologists and nuclear medicine KOLs across the US to assess clinical relevance of radioligand therapy in GI cancers. + Evaluated disease landscape across 50+ oncology indications to identify top opportunities for Targeted Radionuclide Therapy (TRT) narrowing down to 3 high-priority indications, guiding the company's preclinical roadmap. + Created stakeholder maps, identified unmet needs, and helped craft field engagement strategy for launch planning.
Advisor: Prof. Stefan Laufer During my doctoral research, conducted in partnership with the biotech startup HepaRegeniX, I led a hit-to-lead campaign focused on developing small molecule inhibitors targeting a novel MAP kinase (MKK4). This project demanded not only deep medicinal chemistry expertise but also strategic project management and cross-functional coordination. Key achievements: + Designed and synthesized over 100 novel MKK4 inhibitors, establishing a robust SAR roadmap that significantly improved potency, selectivity, and pharmacokinetics. + Pioneered the application of the Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA) for MKK4, demonstrating target engagement in cells — a first in the field. + Contributed to the filing of a patent and first-authored a high-impact publication. + Presented research outcomes to leadership teams, academic conferences, and company boards, supporting strategic decision-making.
Advisor: Prof. Stefan Laufer
Advisor: Dr. Florian Kloß The "Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute" is a multidisciplinary institution that combines microbial natural product research with infection biology, especially of human-pathogenic fungi. Outstanding research is conducted at this institute and it is part of the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse", which was awarded by the German Research Foundation within the framework of Germany's Excellence Strategy. Due to the excellent infrastructure and the close cooperation with the university, I spent a lot of time in different research groups of the institute. I would like to emphasize the work under Dr. Florian Kloß in the "Antiinfective Transfer Group", in which natural products found in-house with antimicrobial activity are developed into active substances and clinical candidates. There, my task in an internship for medicinal chemistry was to chemically derivatize such a natural product and to transfer it into a lead structure.
Establishment of a fragment library of high chemical diversity. Performing biophysical assays. Literature research as preliminary work for chemoinformatical structure-activity relationship analysis