Luz Irina A. Calderón Villalobos, Research Group Leader

• Principal Investigator, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, GER (since 2011)
• Postdoc, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) & Indiana University (IU) Bloomington, USA (2006-2010)
• Dr. rer. nat. Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, GER (2006)
• Microbiologist, Universidad de Los Andes, COL (1997)

Verona Wilde, Technician

Verona is a experienced research technician in biochemistry & molecular biology, who has participated in a vast numbers of impactful research projects. She also ensures lab organization and smooth laboratory operation.

• Signal Integration Group (since 2011)
• Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (since 2000)
• Technician, Bio Centre, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, GER (1999-2000)
• staatlich geprüfte Biologisch-technische Assistentin (BTA), Dr. von Morgenstern-Schule - Braunschweig

Michael Niemeyer, PhD student

Michael’s fascination is ubiquitylation, particularly small-molecule-triggered ubiquitylation of proteins by SCF-type E3 ubiquitin ligases, which he investigates using biochemical and biophysical approaches.

• M.Sc. in Biochemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, GER (2015)
• B.Sc. in Biochemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, GER (2013)

Jhonny Figueroa Parra, PhD student

Jhonny is a graduate student in frame of the DFG-funded Research Training Group 2467 (RTG2467). He seeks to elucidate how intrinsically disordered regions in ubiquitylation targets influence how proteins are processed by the ubiquitin proteasome system.

• M.Sc. in Biochemistry, Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research, VEN (2018)
• Dip. Nutrition & Dietetics, Central University of Venezuela, VEN (2013)

Elena Moreno Castillo, PhD student

Elena's area of expertise is molecular modeling, and she currently studies the underlying mechanism for brassinosteroid analogues perception and signaling. Elena holds a DAAD-funded doctoral fellowship for Cubans.

• Dip. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Havana University, CUB (2013)
• M.Sc. in Chemistry (Physical Chemistry), Havana University, CUB (2018)