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Erik completed both his Bachelor’s and Master’s studies in Biochemistry at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. In his Master’s thesis in the group of Prof. Bernhard Hube at the Leibniz-HKI, he established a new macrophage cell model to study human pathogenic fungi of the genus Candida spp. To do so, he learned and applied a variety of experimental techniques including cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, cytokine measurements (ELISA), and flow cytometry. During this time, he got fascinated by pathogenic fungi and decided to stay in this field for his PhD. As he is likewise interested in RNA biology, he found a perfect spot in Matt’s group!

In his PhD project, Erik will primarily investigate the role of extracellular RNA in fungal infections, especially focusing on antifungal extracellular vesicles sent out by host immune cells – complemented by other side projects related to fungal RNA.