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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
As outstanding young researchers, physicist Dr Xinyu Ma and virologist Dr Tim Krischuns are being funded through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and conducting research as MSCA Postdoctoral Fellows at Heidelberg University. Dr Ma is working in the field of integrated photonics at the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, developing novel modulators for processing quantum information. Dr Krischuns’ project at the Medical Faculty Heidelberg explores the transmission mechanisms of avian influenza viruses and is hosted at the Centre for Infectious Diseases of Heidelberg University Hospital. The European Commission is supporting both projects with a total of approx. 420,000 euros.
Press Release
Heidelberg, 16 July 2025
Physicist and Virologist Conduct Research as MSCA Postdoctoral Fellows at Universität Heidelberg
European Commission funds projects on integrated photonics and virus transmission
As outstanding young researchers, physicist Dr Xinyu Ma and virologist Dr Tim Krischuns are being funded through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and conducting research as MSCA Postdoctoral Fellows at Heidelberg University. Dr Ma is working in the field of integrated photonics, developing novel modulators for processing quantum information. Her project at the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics is being supervised by Prof. Dr Wolfram Pernice. Dr Krischuns’ project at the Medical Faculty Heidelberg explores the transmission mechanisms of avian influenza viruses and is hosted by the research group of Prof. Dr Petr Chlanda at the Centre for Infectious Diseases of Heidelberg University Hospital. The European Commission is supporting both MSCA Postdoctoral Fellows’ projects with a total of approx. 420,000 euros over a period of two years.
Xinyu Ma’s project focuses on the development of high-speed optoelectronic modulators optimized for quantum computing with ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light is characterized by high energy and short wavelengths, making it particularly suitable for interacting with atoms and ions, which are used as information carriers, known as qubits, in quantum computers. Controlling this light requires suitable modulators, but such devices have yet to be successfully implemented. In Prof. Pernice’s research group, Dr Ma is working to close this technological gap. This includes developing innovative optoelectronic circuits, nanofabrication processes and 3D nanoprinting techniques. Xinyu Ma studied Electrical Engineering and completed her doctorate at Tsinghua University (China) in 2023. The European Commission has approved funding of approx. 218,000 euros for her project on “High-speed integrated ultra-violet electro-optic modulators” (HEIVOM).
Avian influenza viruses, which have the ability to jump from birds to mammals, including humans, are the focus of Tim Krischuns’ project. The pathogen’s ability to enter and replicate in human cells depends on the activity of so-called restriction factors, proteins that can inhibit the activity of avian influenza viruses. However, the molecular mechanisms of restriction remain unclear, and in particular why, in some cases, the pathogen manages to evade this part of the innate immune system. Using high-resolution imaging techniques, Dr Krischuns is set to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The long-term aim of the work carried out in Prof. Chlanda’s research group is to improve the tools used for assessing pandemic risks and to identify new approaches for drug development. After studying human biology at the University of Greifswald, Tim Krischuns completed his doctorate in 2019 at the University of Münster. The project titled FluZoBa is being funded by the European Commission to the tune of approx. 202,000 euros.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are aimed at researchers who have completed their doctoral studies and wish to carry out research abroad, acquire new skills, and advance their careers. With funding from the European Commission, these researchers can benefit from international and interdisciplinary mobility, and gain experience in non-academic sectors.
Contact:
Heidelberg University
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presse@rektorat.uni-heidelberg.de
https://www.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/photon – Wolfram Pernice research group
https://www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de/zentrum-fuer-infektiologie/virologie/fors... – Petr Chlanda research group
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