Lukas Mager studied medicine at the Medical University in Vienna, Austria and obtained his MD degree in 2010. After a short stay as a research associate at the Institute of Cancer Research and Institute of Immunology in Vienna he moved to Bern, Switzerland to obtain his PhD at the University of Bern in 2015. He performed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Calgary, Canada from 2017-2021. During these periods he gained considerable expertise in the fields of immunology, microbiome and cancer research, particularly how these fields intersect with each other. Starting from 2021 Lukas Mager is an independent group leader at the University Hospital Tübingen and the M3 Institute where he researches microbiome-host interactions particularly in the field of inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.

Besides science, he deeply enjoys being out in nature. One of his favourite hobbies is hiking in the mountains. He also enjoys reading and is a fan of strategy games. 

Kirsten Bucher is a research scientist with a strong interest in the field of immunology and infection. She obtained her PhD at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Tübingen. After that she performed postdoctoral studies at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology and at the University Eye Hospital in Tübingen.

Since joining our lab, she is working on a new project focusing on the identification of novel checkpoint blockades in colorectal cancer.

Marian Mortega gained her MS in Environmental Engineering at Sangi University, South Korea, and her BS in Chemistry at Rizal Technological University, Philippines. Her scientific background encompassed water analysis, petrochemistry and fast pyrolysis. 

With equal passion for science and arts, she wears a couple of other hats as a photographer and couturier.

Rômulo concluded his bachelor's studies in Biotechnology in 2016 at the University of Pelotas/Brazil and his Master’s in Applied and Basic Immunology in 2018 at the Medical School of the University of Sao Paulo - USP/Brazil. After becoming fascinated with the involvement of the microbiome in the different aspects of several diseases, Rômulo moved to the Department of Microbial Immune Regulation at Helmholtz Research Institute where he is obtaining his Ph.D. in Infectious Research with Research Training in Gut Microbiome and Mucosal Immunology. Nowadays, Rômulo aims to apply his experiences specifically on flourishing aspects of the Microbiome in the Cancer Research field aiming to use different approaches to unravel trans-kingdom mechanisms that might improve cancer prevention and treatment efficacy. 

As a very communicative person, @romulodeolive, has been involved in global liaison initiatives on different SciComm organizations with intention to discuss scientific discoveries and make science more accessible. @publicjournalc, @OpenBoxSci, and @ResearcherApp. 

As much as doing science, he likes to spend time cooking, working out, running outside, practicing yoga, taking care of his houseplants, and click-training sections with his cat, Fajka. 

Tim has a background in Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology (BSc) which he obtained at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria. During his studies he conducted a practical training semester at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University where he gathered relevant skills in the field of stem cell research. With an increased interest in Immunology, he subsequently obtained his MSc in Biomedicine at Uppsala University, Sweden. During his studies he gained experience in cell culture, molecular biology, as well as insights into immunology and oncology. He has since joined our lab as a PhD student working on a research project within the microbiome-immune-cancer field with the aim of establishing a novel cancer organoid co-culture.

Apart from his professional interests, Tim enjoys hiking, 3D modeling, snowboarding, and spending time with his family and dog.

Trang gained her Master degree in Molecular Life Science from the University of Jena, Germany. After that she had some time working with SARS-CoV-2 at the University of Frankfurt and with Listeria monocytogenes at the University of Gießen. She has joined our lab as a PhD student since 2022. Here, she studies the effect of microbiome on metastasis in colorectal cancer. 

When not working, she likes to spend time with her family; she enjoys very much working in garden and listening to music.

Mahana is a french PhD student specialized in immunology, currently visiting the group of the Dr. Kathy McCoy in the University of Calgary, Canada. During her studies, she became interested in the impact of the gut microbiome on the immune system. In her current project, she aims to identify the bacteria that drive inflammatory bowel disease and to understand the underlying mechanisms, in order to develop a precision therapy against this disease. She obtained her BSc and her french-german MSc in immunology from the University of Strasburg and the University of Saarbrücken.

When she is not in the lab, she enjoys riding horses and hiking, and is a big fan of cats (especially hers).