Esingen, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
With over 15 years of experience in the life sciences - spanning from world-class research at EMBL to strategic R&D leadership at AB Enzymes - I specialize in translating complex protein biochemistry into high-impact industrial solutions. Throughout my career, I have balanced scientific excellence with large-scale operational leadership. At EMBL, I managed laboratory operations for over 45 researchers, driving workflows in structural biology and Cryo-EM. Today, as the Lead of Enzyme Technology in Germany, I leverage that expertise to lead high-performing teams through the complexities of enzyme discovery, engineering, and characterization. My core expertise includes: • Strategic Leadership: Mentoring and coaching international teams of scientists and technicians to foster a culture of professional growth and technical excellence. • Scientific Innovation: Deep technical roots in protein expression, purification, and structural elucidation (Cryo-EM & X-ray crystallography) applied to modern enzyme technology. • Operational Excellence: Expert management of CAPEX/OPEX, laboratory automation, and cross-functional project execution within global R&D frameworks. I find great value in creating the optimal environment for scientific discovery. My focus is to bridge the gap between deep protein science and industrial application by combining technical expertise with efficient laboratory management. I am dedicated to maintaining high standards in our operations while ensuring that my team has the tools and guidance needed to deliver the technical breakthroughs that drive our R&D forward.
In my current role at AB Enzymes, I lead the Enzyme Technology team in Germany, where I am responsible for driving innovation and technical excellence within an international R&D environment. My focus is split between strategic people leadership and the technical oversight of complex enzyme discovery and engineering programs. I serve as a mentor and coach for a team of seven (FTEs), including technicians and scientists, fostering a culture of high-level scientific guidance and professional growth. Together, we spearhead activities in enzyme development, characterization, and analytical method development, with a particular emphasis on high-throughput screening assays and QC-relevant applications. By bridging the gap between deep technical research and commercial application, I ensure our team’s output is directly aligned with business objectives and market needs. Beyond the lab, I oversee workload planning, laboratory operations, and CAPEX/OPEX budgeting. I play a key role in global, cross-functional project teams, where I translate complex analytical data into actionable insights for senior management and non-technical stakeholders. Additionally, I represent our German site in strategic collaborations with our colleagues in Finland, while ensuring that all operations meet the highest standards of HSE, regulatory compliance, and sustainability.
In my previous position, I was in charge of two laboratories at EMBL Hamburg, which were shared by around 40 scientists. I led an amazing team of dedicated employees who were the foundation of our well-organized and high-standard laboratories. Within the team, we constantly worked on improving workflows and integrating new solutions, such as automation. I was also an active member of several committees at EMBL: - The Innovation Strategy Committee - The Protein Expression and Purification Committee - The Green EMBL Committee Furthermore, I managed my own research area, which focused on elucidating the structures of large multimeric protein complexes by cryogenic electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography. This involved cloning, expression in E. coli or mammalian cells, purification, buffer optimization, and biophysical characterization prior to structural determination.
In this position I was characterizing human and yeast target proteins that interacts with the core component of autophagy. In brief, this was done by expressing/purifying proteins in E. coli, insect, or human cells and characterize them using various biophysical techniques before structural characterizing by negative stain EM and Cryo-EM.
Developing of downstream purification processes for new enzymes.
In this position I was characterizing human and yeast target proteins that interacts with the core component of autophagy. In brief, this was done by expressing/purifying proteins in E. coli, insect, or human cells and characterize them using various biophysical techniques before structural characterizing by negative stain EM and Cryo-EM.