People – Di Ventura Lab

Group Leader

Barbara Di Ventura

Nationality:
Even if I tried to hide it, you would immediately get it…I am just too Italian I’m afraid. I do have German nationality too, though, eh eh.

Protein/molecules of interest:
I used to love p53, then I started focusing my attention on these fascinating pole-to-pole oscillating Min proteins, but, lately, there is NO doubt: my favorite molecule is LOV!

Most useful bioinformatics tool:
I am stuck at BLAST

Best model organism:
Everything but Drosophila!

Favorite plasmid/cloning strategy:
Classical restriction digestion-based cloning (this might reveal my age, though. I shall say Gibson Assembly to stay cool!)

Favourite place in the lab:
I am secluded in the office most of the time, but I’d rather be at the benches where the exciting science is taking place!

When an experiment does not work, you…:
Get totally mad!

Amounts of coffee per day:
2 in the morning, one espresso after lunch and this is it.

Songs to best describe lab life on a good day/on a bad day:
Ok, this one is tough. I sing all the possible songs in my head all the time, but lately, I became obsessed with Måneskin, so I’d say “Moriro’ da re” on a good day and “Torna a casa” on a bad day

Email:barbara.diventura[at]biologie.uni-freiburg.de

Telephone:+ 49 761 203 2764

PhD student

Büşra Merve Kırpat

Nationality:
universe

Protein/molecules of interest:
fluorescent proteins

Most useful bioinformatics tool:
BLAST

Best model organism:
tardigrades

Favorite plasmid/cloning strategy:
Gibson Assembly

Favorite place in the lab:
microscopy room

When an experiment does not work, you…:
It’s an expected thing for an experiment so I just grab a coffee for a break and think about it.

Amounts of coffee per day:
at least two cups

Songs to best describe lab life on a good day/on a bad day:
James Brown- I got you (I feel good) / Bob Marley- Three little birds

Email:buesra.merve.kirpat.konak@biologie.uni-freiburg.de

Telephone:+497612032762

PhD student

Daniel Armbruster

Nationality:
German

Protein/molecules of interest:
Inteines and OrthoRep.

Most useful bioinformatics tool:
PyMOL and BLAST

Best model organism:
S. cerevisiae

Favorite plasmid/cloning strategy:
Gibson assembly

Favourite place in the lab:
My workplace

When an experiment does not work, you…:
drink a coffee

Amounts of coffee per day:
depends on the experiments

Songs to best describe lab life on a good day/on a bad day:
Wonderful Life – Seeed/ You can’t always get what you want – The Rolling Stones

Email:d.armbruster@biologie.uni-freiburg.de

Telephone: +497612032762

Postdoc

Denise Nikodemus

Nationality:
European

Protein/molecules of interest:
Extracellular matrix proteins and those who influence their expression, folding, secretion, maintenance, and disposal

Most useful bioinformatics tool:
BLAST, Clustal Omega, Expasy, PDB

Best model organism:
Depends on what I want to use it for.

Favorite plasmid/cloning strategy:
Sleeping beauty transposase system, simple overlap PCR

Favourite place in the lab:
Can´t resist the bench. Desk stuff must wait until the evening.

Amounts of coffee per day:
A fast one in the morning, a relaxed one after lunch

Songs to best describe lab life on a good day/on a bad day:
A good day in the lab and `Blinding Lights´ by The Weekend, the day can´t be bad anymore. Pearl Jam can really help on a bad lab day.

Email:denise.nikodemus@biologie.uni-freiburg.de

PhD student

Daniel Mazraeh

Nationality:
Milky way

Protein/molecules of interest:
Still, nothing amazes me more than motor proteins.

Most useful bioinformatics tool:
Never rely on one.

Best model organism:
Of course, it depends on the experiment

Favorite plasmid/cloning strategy:
The faster the better.

Amounts of coffee per day:
Not much

Favorite cafeteria food:
Both Greek and Persian cuisines.

Songs to best describe lab life on a good day/on a bad day:
“Adelante”- Sash! / ”Tanhaye Tanha” Iraj bastami

Email:daniel.mazraeh@biologie.uni-freiburg.de

PhD student

Giada Forlani

Nationality:
Croatian/Italian, the best combo ever! 😉

Protein/molecules of interest:
the one and only RelA (p65), and when fused to LINuS I like it even better

Most useful bioinformatics tool:
Benchling, to keep all the cloning, protocols and projects organized. ImageJ/Fiji for editing/analysis of microscopy images.

Best model organism:
Mammalian cells: so small but still so rebellious and resilient.

Favorite plasmid/cloning strategy:
Gibson aka narcissistic water cloning XD

Favourite place in the lab:
The drawer in which I hide chocolate 😇

When an experiment does not work, you…:
….Go to the before-mentioned drawer 😎

Amounts of coffee per day:
max 2 per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, always with milk, sometimes with sugar

Songs to best describe lab life on a good day/on a bad day:
There are no bad days in the lab that can´t be turned into good days with some music (and maybe a drink after work). Let´s start the party with In&Out (Gigi D´Agostino & LA Vision).

Email:giada.forlani@sgbm.uni-freiburg.de

Telephone:+49 7612032787