Post-Docs at the Research Campus

Meet Two of Our Post-Docs Who Decided to Pursue Their Career at the Research Campus of Central Hessen

Leading scholars across virtually the entire range of academic disciplines, excellent research infrastructure, and tailor-made institutional support is what attracts early career researchers to our universities and research institutions of the Research Campus of Central Hessen. From an AI-powered chat bot getting you settled in the region to personal guidance provided to you by dedicated departments for international early career researchers, there are many reasons to consider taking the next step in your research career here. Read the following interviews with our post-docs to learn more about their research, what brought them to Central Hessen, and how the support here is what makes a difference.

Dr. Dimitris Voudouris, Department of Experimental Psychology, JLU

Dimitris Voudouris is a post-doctoral researcher and principal investigator at the department of experimental psychology at Justus Liebig University Giessen. Learn more about his work and life in Giessen in the following interview.

What are you researching in your post-doctoral phase?

I am broadly interested in how people use their senses, like vision and touch, to guide their movements and interact with the environment. In my current work, I look at why these sensorimotor processes differ so much across individuals, and especially how they change throughout the lifespan.

To study this, I run behavioral experiments with children, young adults, and older adults, where I record things like eye, head, and whole-body movements during natural tasks such as reaching, grasping, or maintaining balance. I also combine this with psychophysiological measures to see how sensory signals are sampled and processed during those actions.

I ultimately aim to identify the mechanisms that drive age-related sensorimotor changes, and the role that physiological and cognitive processes play in shaping behavior. My long-term goal is to see whether certain motor strategies can help optimize performance, which could foster motor learning, advance rehabilitation, and support healthy aging.

What led you to Giessen?

I did my PhD in Amsterdam as part of a large European research consortium, which also included Justus Liebig University Giessen. During that time, I collaborated with researchers from Experimental Psychology at JLU and even visited Giessen and the Rauischholzhausen castle. These experiences gave me a first impression of the strong research environment here.

The prospect of developing my research interests and academic skills in an excellent department with a supportive environment was the main motivation to come. Catalysts were the advantages of a compact city surrounded by nature, the proximity to a metropolitan hub like Frankfurt, and the small step that I could make further to the south --where home is.

Of course, moving from a large international city like Amsterdam to Giessen came with challenges, particularly in administrative processes and daily life. Back in 2014, support for non-German speakers was limited, and getting around the city could be inconvenient. Over the years, I have noticed positive changes such as improvements in mobility with expanded bike paths and shared-bike options—which make navigating the city much more fun. This makes it easier to appreciate the city’s green areas, including the historical botanical gardens and the Alter Friedhof.

What do you appreciate about your university’s support for post-docs?

There are several support structures for international and early-career researchers at JLU that have positively shaped my way within the FCMH landscape. Informal lunch meetings organized by the GGL (International Giessen Graduate Centre for the Life Sciences) helped me develop my network, while the invited talks organized by the GGN (Giessen Graduate Center for Natural Sciences and Psychology) broadened my perspective into adjacent fields and alternative career opportunities. The Equal Opportunities Office has also been invaluable in supporting researchers with childcare responsibilities.

As a member of the transregional Collaborative Research Center (CRC – Cardinal Mechanisms of Perception), I have received a lot of support from my advisor and the CRC’s organization to expand my research skills and maintain a work-life balance. Since 2021, I have actively contributed to shaping activities for early-career researchers. This includes initiating Erasmus+ exchange programs, organizing methods workshops, and coordinating lab visits—all designed to strengthen interdisciplinary research skills, and boost collaboration.

Working here is stimulating and enjoyable: it keeps me curious to learn new things, helps me grow personally and professionally in a vibrant environment, and offers me a healthy work-life balance. These make my work a lot of fun.

Learn more about Dimitris Voudouris' work here.

Dr. María Gómez-Serrano, Institute for Tumor Immunology, UMR

María Gómez-Serrano is a post-doctoral researcher at the Marburg Center for Tumor Biology and Immunology. Learn more about her work and her journey to Central Hessen in the following interview.

What are you researching in your post-doctoral phase?

Adipose tissue orchestrates the metabolic homeostasis of the organism and its dysfunction leads to the development of several comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease or even cancer. My current research aims to deepen into the molecular changes suffered by adipocytes and other relevant immune cells of this tissue, such as macrophages, under stress conditions such as obesity or cancer-driven inflammation. Understanding how inflammation impacts the adipocyte phenotype and its derived secretome is key to understanding its crosstalk with target cells.

The current projects of my research group focus on the characterization of the cancer-associated adipocyte (CAA) phenotype within the tumor microenvironment and the impact of this phenotype on the release soluble factors (so-called adipokines) as well as extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are nanometer-sized vesicles that are surrounded by a membrane and are used by virtually all cells to exchange signal molecules. We hypothesize that CAA-derived EVs exert a pro-tumorigenic role not only by affecting tumor cell growth and chemoresistance but also by exerting an immunomodulation of the anti-tumor response of natural-killer (NK) cells.

These projects can be developed thanks to the state-of-the-art methodologies provided by the Institute for Tumor Immunology at the UMR, which includes the EV Innovation, Technology and Characterization (EV-iTEC) platform (led by Dr. Christian Preußner).

What did your research focus on before and what led you to Marburg?

During my PhD, I relied on proteomics as high-throughput techniques for the elucidation of the biological changes behind complex pathological conditions such as obesity. This helped me to develop my analytical skills and to understand the importance of the translation of our research to the patients and the society. My time working as a junior postdoc at the Spanish National Cardiovascular Research Center (CNIC-Madrid, Spain) also introduced me to new biological questions, as the role of EVs in cell-communication and their potential use as biomarkers. After two years there, I wanted to push my career forward and look for international opportunities where I could develop a more hypothesis-driven research on the role of adipose tissue in the development of comorbidities.

During my search, I chose Mittelhessen due to its dual-career development opportunities and found the OVARA research alliance at UMR, where Prof. Rolf Müller (Translational Oncology group) and Prof. Elke Pogge von Strandmann (Institute for Tumor Immunology) participated. This initiative could synergize my expertise on adipose tissue and proteomics in a new topic area: cancer.

At that time, very few references on the topic of adipocyte-derived EVs were available, and this exciting opportunity led me to propose Prof. Müller to ask for my independent research funding to join his group. I was then fascinated by the support received not only from my mentor, but also from the EU-funding and International Offices of the UMR which helped me with my applications and my journey to Germany, respectively, in 2019.

What do you appreciate about your university’s support for post-docs?

The support from the UMR was fantastic even before starting my journey. I applied to a Spanish postdoctoral research program (Ramón Areces Foundation) on my own, but also to the EU-Funded MSCA program, where the EU-funding Office at the UMR gave me full support and advice. Once granted, The Welcome Center and the International Office helped me with all my documentation and arrival and invited me to several events, fostering not only my integration (e.g., language courses) but also my networking. In 2020, COVID-19 changed the plans for all of us, including my initial project and mid-term goals. Thanks to the graduate center GRK2573, I found the opportunity to re-shape and extend my research, participating as junior PI since 2020. The support of the GRK2573 and Prof. Pogge von Strandmann led me to get my own funding on this frame, allowing me to supervise for my first PhD student.

Also, the GRK2573 has supported my training on the EMF Certificate Program “Designing and Managing Research Projects” organized by the Marburg Research Academy (MARA). The role of MARA has been pivotal in the development of my postdoctoral career, not only thanks to the courses offered but also providing me support for science communication event organization, coaching, as well as networking opportunities through other initiatives like the Young Faculty Network (YFN). Of note, this network consists of researchers not only from the UMR but also JLU, and has connected me with partners for interuniversity collaborative projects currently in preparation. Lastly, I would like to highlight the commitment that the UMR has with dual-career and family-friendly development, fostering a real, international atmosphere where everybody is welcomed.

Learn more about María Gómez Serrano's work here.

Interested in becoming a researcher at the Research Campus of Central Hessen?

Our management office, universities and research institutions, and regional partners offer a broad range of support catered to your specific needs and questions. Want to find out about career options at the three universities as an international researcher? Check out the pages of the international offices and departments for early career researchers to get started:

• FCMH Landing Page for Post-Docs
• JLU International Office
• JLU Post-Doc Career and Mentoring Office
• UMR International Office
• UMR Marburg University Research Academy (MARA)
• THM International Office
• THM Department for Young Academics

Have any general questions on the process of coming to Central Hessen or need specific support for getting started in the region? Check out the AI-powered search tool and support services at the Welcome Center Mittelhessen: Welcome to Mittelhessen