PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Cristina Paulino
Cristina Paulino
Full Professor
cristina.paulino(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
ORCID: 0000-0001-7017-109X
Cristina Paulino, is a first-generation academic from Portugal, who did her undergraduate in Biochemistry at the Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany. She conducted her Master Thesis at the Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund, Germany, and graduated in 2008. During her undergraduate and following doctoral studies at the Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, she was trained in membrane protein biology. Under the supervision of Werner Kühlbrandt, a pioneer in the field, she became proficient in electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) and obtained her PhD with distinction (summa cum laude) in 2014. Building upon her expertise, she implemented the technique of cryo-EM in the group of Raimund Dutzler (University of Zurich, Switzerland) during her postdoctoral studies. Shortly after, she was recruited to establish her own group, which she started in August 2017 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor and head of the cryo-EM unit at the Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB), University of Groningen, The Netherlands. In June 2022 she was promoted to tenured Associate Professor. In 2023 Cristina was recruited by the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where she joined the Biochemistry Centre (BZH) as a full professor in Structural Biology and Molecular Membrane Biochemistry. She remains affiliated as a guest professor at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
In 2020 Cristina was awarded the NVBMB prize from the Dutch Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Within The Netherlands Electron Microscopy Infrastructure roadmap (NEMI), she headed the national single-particle cryo-EM flagship node and was member of the executive board from 2017 till 2023. At the University of Heidelberg, she now heads the cryo-EM platform HDcryoNET. Nationwide, Cristina is the spokesperson of the Structural Biology study group of the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM), which among others, includes organizing the biannual Murnau conference that has established itself as the largest recurring national conference in structural biology.
Cristina is passionate about membrane proteins, which are the entry points and gate keepers of our cells. Her interdisciplinary research is focused on elucidating the mechanism of action of membrane transporters and channels on a molecular level, by combining structural biology approaches with the functional characterization of target proteins. It is driven by fundamental questions on how these essential nanomachines work and are regulated; how structure relates to function; how malfunction causes diseases; and, if applicable, explore their pharmacological potential. Apart from science, Cristina is a devoted mentor, an advocate for women and diversity and mother of two young girls. Read more about her here: Biophysics Profile; or download her CV.
MEET OUR LAB MEMBERS
Senior and Support Staff
Jochen Baßler
Senior Staff, habilitated and Manager of the Lab
with us since March 2023
jochen.bassler(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
Andrea Schliwa
Our secretary to help in all matters
with us since March 2023
+49 6221 54 41 83 andrea.schliwa(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
Sabine Griesel
Technician and Guardian of the Lab
with us since March 2023
sabine.griesel(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
Uschi Göbel
Technician and Master of the Cells
with us since March 2023
uschi.goebel(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
Postdocs
Celine Zheng-Gerard
Postdoc
with us since Nov 2023
celine.zheng-gerard(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
PhD students
Linda Markus
PhD Student
with us since December 2022
linda.markus(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
Anna Borowska
PhD Student of Dirk Slotboom
with us to do cryo-EM since March 2021
a.m.borowska(at)rug.nl
Panos Drougkas
PhD Student
with us since September 2021
p.drougkas(at)rug.nl
Undergraduate and exchange students
Athithya Jeyarasaa
Master Student
with us since February 2023
athithya.jeyarasaa(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
Visiting Researchers
Randy Stockbridge
Guest Professor from the University of Michigan, USA
on a sabbatical with us since November 2024
BZH Staff @HDcryoNet – the Cryo-EM technology Platform on Campus
Jan Rheinberger
Postdoc & EM Support Staff
with us since Dec 2018
jan.rheinberger(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
Dirk Flemming
EM Support Staff
with us since Mar 2023
dirk.flemming(at)bzh.uni-heidelberg.de
special guests
Amalia
our financial officer
with us since 2023
Bailey
our EM watchdog
with us since 2020
Alba
our grant submitting baby
with us since 2020
Feline
our well being advisor
with us since 2022
Bagel
our processing dog
with us since 2019
Talos Arctica
rocking science @ 200kV
with us since 2017
Very much missed alumni
Martin Peter
Postdoc
with us since May 2022 till Oct 2024
moved to Novo Nordisk, DK
Foteini Karapanagioti
researcher
with us from Nov 2019 till Oct 2023
Michiel Punter
IT manager
with us from Aug 2017 till Feb 2023
still making sure cluster doesn’t explode in Groningen
Tatiana Cereija
EMBO short-term postdoc visitor
from the lab of João Morais Cabral (PT)
with us from March till June 2022
Victor Dubach
Master student
with us since Feb 2021 till Oct 2021
started his PhD at the MPI in Frankfurt
David Griwatz
Erasmus student
with us from Dec 2019 till Mar 2020
moved to do his PhD in the Hänelt Lab, DE
Valeria Kalienkova
Postdoc
with us from Sept 2019 till Dec 2022
moved to the Kursula Lab, NO
Jasper Kuipers
Master Student
with us from February 2022 till Oct 2022
Lisa Hielkema
PhD student
with us from June 2017 till Feb 2022
moved to QPS, NL
Alisa Garaeva
PhD student shared with Dirk Slotboom
with us from Sept 2017 – March 2021
moved to a PostDoc in the Seeger Lab
Gert Oostergetel
a cryo-EM legend now enjoying his retirement
was with us from 2017-2019
Chancie Thangaratnarajah
Postdoc (shared with Dirk Slotboom)
with us from Nov 2018 till Dec 2022
moved to to Sosei Heptares, UK
Marcus Stuart
EM Facility manager
with us from Aug 2017 till Feb 2023
still rocking since in Groningen
Vanessa Clerico Mosina
PhD student
with us from Nov 2017 till Oct 2022
moved to Kling Biotherapeutics, NL
Hendrik Sikkema
PhD Student shared with Bert Poolman
with us from Jan 2019 till Sep 2020
moved to Geerstma Lab, DE
Kavya Prasad
Master student
was with us in 2018
moved to start her PhD at UMCG, NL
THE GOLDEN TROPHY
The golden EM trophy, is one of the things we introduced in our group to show appreciation and boost the motivation within oneself and between lab members. This trophy is passed to everyone in the group that had a nice accomplishment (published, unpublished, for research or a big life event, or simply for a great idea or support). This event gets a spot on our ‘wall of fame’, which hangs next to our ‘wall of shame’, then, hey, mistakes happen, we learn from them and they can be a good reason for a laugh, too…
THE WALLS OF FAME & SHAME
We like to celebrate all events be it good, bad or simply hilarious.
They all get a spot on our wall of fame or shame, which hang next to our beloved Talos Arctica.
Then hey, mistakes happen, we learn from them and they can be a good reason for a laugh, too.
