I am a postdoc in the group Structural dynamics of aqueous solutions (SDAQS). My research focuses on the dynamics of protein solutions investigated with scattering techniques.
In my current projects, I’m investigating protein diffusion in crowded solutions employing MHz XPCS with XFEL radiation and protein structural changes during phase separation with SAXS and WAXS and DLS.
Before joining the SDAQS group in Stockholm, I obtained my Ph.D in physics at the University of Tübingen (Germany). My doctoral research focused on protein liquid-liquid phase separation investigated with neutron and X-ray scattering, in particular quasi elastic neutron scattering and XPCS. Prior to my Ph.D, I obtained a double master’s degree in physics from the universities of Tübingen and Trento (Italy) in 2018 and a bachelor’s degree in physics at the university of Trento.
The inside of a cell is packed with proteins, RNA, and other biomolecules. Researchers have discovered that this crowding in the cell results in a kind of condensate of biomolecules, like small molecular droplets, which appear to be important for the cell’s function
Dynamical heterogeneities (DyHes) emerge in liquids upon cooling, when molecules form regions with distinct slow and fast dynamics. Even though DyHes are ubiquitous across research fields, they have so far eluded direct experimental observation.
Resolving and controlling the biomolecular condensation mechanism is essential for understanding cellular function, as well as for treating aggregation diseases and facilitate the formulation of future protein-based drugs and materials.
