Nina Gotzmann

Current position:
2025- PhD student at the Department of Chemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Previous work/positions:
Student assistant at the Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Germany

Laboratory assistant in genetics at the medical laboratory of Dr. med. M. Susa, Ulm, Germany

Education:
B.Sc. Biology (2022), M.Sc. Molecular and Translational Neuroscience (2024) – Ulm University, Germany.

Research interest
My main PhD project centers on developing an analytical pipeline to correlate high-resolution imaging techniques, including EM, STED, Tof-SIMS, and NanoSIMS, to apply in neurobiology. Particularly, this integrative approach allows us to explore the molecular organization and dynamics of lipids, proteins, and RNAs in neural stem cells at the organelle level. The unique value lies in the depth of information we can extract from a single sample, offering powerful insights into cellular mechanisms.

I’m also investigating the molecular changes at the neuronal plasma membranes during the differentiation from neural progenitor cells into oligodendrocytes, as well as the molecular differences in neurons with Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome (SGS), a rare congenital disorder in children. Using ToF-SIMS, we compare healthy and SGS-affected cells across various developmental stages to investigate how the disease alters neuronal membrane structure and dynamics. Our aim is to identify critical membrane molecules that may play a pivotal role in future therapeutic strategies.

Additionally, I’m involved in ALS research, where I study protein turnover in stress granules and their interactions with other cellular compartments, using correlative microscopy and NanoSIMS to shed light on disease mechanisms.