PD Dr. Ralf Dahm

 

BACKGROUND:
r_dahm_2-1I obtained my MSc and PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Dundee in Scotland. For my theses work there, I studied how the lens of the eye becomes completely transparenta highly unusual property for a biological tissue. As a side interest, I became fascinated by understanding how eye diseases change visual perception and how this impacted the work of famous artists. Following my PhD, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, Germany. There I investigated how genes control the development of the eye using the zebrafish as a model. During my time at the MPI, I also worked as a science manager, particularly in the areas of PR/communication, technology transfer and events. It was also here that I developed an interest in the history of the life sciences, especially in the discovery of DNA, as well as in how science is communicated. After my time in Tübingen, I was a Research Group Leader at the Centre for Brain Research of the Medical University of Vienna, where I also obtained my Habilitation. My research focused on the molecular mechanisms that influence how neuronal networks form and change to allow learning and memory. Subsequently, I was Director of Scientific Management at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) in Madrid. In 2010, I moved to the Institute of Molecular Biology gGmbH (IMB) in Mainz where I am Director of Scientific Management. Since 2009, I am also Visiting Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Padua and Guest Lecturer at the Universities of Trento and Verona (all in Italy).

THE GRK IS...
a truly interdisciplinary project with phenomenal potential for very creative and innovative projects. It is also a _MG_1871great opportunity to interact and work with some exceptionally gifted and open-minded people.

MY GOAL IS...
to bring life sciences, medicine and the humanities closer together to foster interdisciplinary research collaborations and the sharing of ideas and knowledge. I believe that real innovation happens when very disparate disciplines engage.

MY PROJECT... I am not offering an independent project but, wherever applicable, I will provide advice and guidance to students working on projects with other PIs taking part in the GRK.

CONTACT: IMB Mainz