2024 Cohort of the NOMIS-ETH Fellows
We are very pleased to announce the 2024 Cohort of the NOMIS-ETH Fellows. Between July and September three postdoctoral fellows will join the COPL thanks to the generous support that we receive from the NOMIS Foundation.
A special event to welcome the incoming fellows is planned to follow the COPL General Assembly on 03 October 2024 at 16:00 CEST. Please save the date.
A very warm welcome to David Schnettler, Taylor Priest and Sean Jordan.
All three are excited to start their activities and are grateful for the support that they receive from the NOMIS Foundation via the Fellowship Prgramme.
David Schnettler
David Schnettler is a (bio)chemist turned protein enthusiast. After studies at the University of Constance (Germany) and Ecole Normale Supériere (France), he specialized on enzyme mechanisms and evolution during his PhD at the University of Cambridge (UK) where he used droplet microfluidics to evolve enzymes with new functions. His doctoral and post-doctoral research has been centred around how proteins evolve to acquire new functions and how this process can be steered to discover new biocatalysts. Now, he will apply the tools of protein engineering to questions at the origin of life and aims to experimentally recapitulate the prebiotic emergence of a minimalist ‘proto-polymerase’.
“Take a look at the most essential enzymes of life, the ribosome and polymerases: The enzymes in charge of the most basic life processes (like copying DNA) are the most complicated – they are large, intricate molecular machines of seemingly irreducible complexity. Yet, life is unthinkable without heredity and growth, and the biochemistry underlying these processes is deeply conserved among all life on Earth. So how did it all start? Can we simplify these enzymes?”David Schnettler
Dr. David Schnettler will conduct his research in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) in the Bioprocess Laboratory led by Prof. Sven Panke. He is grateful for this unique opportunity made possible by the NOMIS-ETH fellowship programme and is excited about joining ETH’s Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life to contribute to its mission.
You may find more information on David on Downloadthis poster (PDF, 1.6 MB).
Taylor Priest
Taylor Priest is a microbiologist and microbial ecologist who is passionate about understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that have shape microbial life on Earth. During his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany, he studied the diversity and function of microorganisms in polar ocean ecosystems and how they have adapted to such pronounced environmental conditions. More recently, Dr. Taylor Priest joined the Microbiome Lab at ETH Zürich, where he has been focused on researching the mechanisms that drive diversification in microorganisms, to better understand how evolution progresses. Now, Dr. Taylor Priest aims to investigate evolution from a different perspective: that of mobile genetic elements.
“One of the central mechanisms through which life has evolved over the past four billion years is the exchange of genetic material between organisms. This process is driven by mobile genetic elements.”Taylor Priest
Dr. Taylor Priest’s research will combine DNA sequence data and innovative computational approaches with field sampling and experimental analyses to explore mobile genetic elements across Earth's diverse biomes. Under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Shinichi Sunagawa and Asst. Prof. Dr. Marie Schoelmerich at ETH Zürich, he aims to unravel the diversity of these elements, decipher the genetic material they shuttle across environments, and discern their evolutionary trajectories and influence on the evolution of microbial life forms.
You may find more information about Taylor on Downloadthis poster (PDF, 3.1 MB).
Sean Jordan
Sean Jordan is a planetary scientist and astrophysicist, originally from Manchester, UK, and more recently based at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambirdge. He is interested in how we can apply our models of the planetary processes that we can study in detail in the Solar System, to help us interpret observations of exoplanets in orbit around distant stars.
Sean studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge specialising in Astrophysics, and continued there to embark on his PhD. During this time, he has examined a range of multidisciplinary problems including the prospect of extremophilic life in the cloud droplets of Venus, the discovery of photochemical sulfur-dioxide on the gas-giant exoplanet WASP-39b, and how a molten planetary interior could be shaping the observed atmosphere of elusive sub-Neptune exoplanet K2-18b. In his current research, Sean is investigating how we can use observations of atmospheric sulfur-dioxide to learn about the climate and surface conditions of rocky worlds orbiting small M-dwarf stars.
“In order to understand what our astronomical observations are telling us about these other worlds, we require detailed models of the planets and their host stars.”Sean Jordan
Dr. Sean Jordan will carry out this research under the mentorship of Prof. Sascha Quanz, who leads the Exoplanets and Habitability group in the Institute for Particle and Astrophysics. Sean is grateful for the exciting opportunity made possible by the NOMIS foundation.
You may find more information about Sean on Downloadthis poster (PDF, 1.3 MB).