UK Bonn Biomathematics - Thurley group

Team

Prof. Dr. Kevin Thurley, principle investigator

Dr. Thurley studied biophysics and applied mathematics at Humboldt University Berlin, followed by doctoral research in Berlin and Cambridge. In postdoctoral work at Charite Berlin and UC San Francisco, he combined mathematical modeling and quantitative data analysis in the context of circadian rhythms, cell motility and cell-cell-communication. In 2017, he returned to Berlin to start his own research group at German Rheumatism Research Center, and in 2021, the Thurley group joined the Mathematics in the Life Sciences initiative in Bonn. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys hiking, cooking, dining, and classical music.

Email: kevin.thurley at uni-bonn.de

Lisa Steinheuer PhD, Postdoc

Lisa received her M.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of Cologne. Switching from the wet to the dry lab, she conducted her Ph.D. project at the Helmholtz Center in Leipzig in the field of bioinformatics. There she focused on the evaluation and interpretation of algorithms and methods for single-cell transcriptomic data analyses. In the Thurley group, she is particularly interested in identifying cell-cell communication networks between immune cells. Outside work, she enjoys cooking, gathering with friends and family, and strolling through nature. 

Suman Gare, Postdoc

 Suman obtained his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies in Basar, India. Subsequently, he pursued his M.Tech in Chemical Reaction Engineering at Osmania University, Hyderabad, India, followed by his Ph. D. on integration of machine learning and biophysical modeling for analysis of population-level calcium signaling.  Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad. Currently, he is interested in spatio-temporal reaction-diffusion models of immune-cell interactions. Beyond academia, he enjoys cooking and spending quality time with friends. 

Nissrin Alachkar, Postdoc

After studying Mathematics at the University of Manchester for her undergraduate and masters, Nissrin chose to do a PhD in quantitative and biophysical biology also at UoM, focusing on understanding heterogeneity of gene expression in the innate immune system through mathematical modelling and statistical analysis of single-cell experimental data. Currently, she is interested in modelling the complex dynamical interplay between cancer and immune cells in the tumour microenvironment. In her free time, she  enjoys powerlifting, going on walks in nature, exploring new places and reading. 

Lisa Li, PhD student

Lisa has a MSc in Mathematics at the University of Bonn, with a focus on stochastics, biological modelling and applications in cancer immunotherapy. Before that, she was studying and researching in pure maths at different locations, including Cambridge, Bonn and Beijing. In the Thurley lab, she mainly studies cell-cell communication of immune cells using spatio-temporal models. When not working, she likes to play table tennis and recharges her batteries while travelling and hiking. 

Amin Ghasemi, PhD student (jointly with Balling group at UKB)

As an electrical engineer-control with a master's degree from Tarbiat Modares University and a bachelor's degree from the Noshirvani University of Technology in Iran, Amin has changed his research path from computational neuroscience to systems biology. His current research aims to predict chronic diseases based on energy metabolism. Aside from research, Amin enjoys video games, photography, designing, and walking. 

Rosa Kreider, PhD student

Rosa received her M.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Bonn with a specialization in stochastics, numerics and analysis. Her academic interests include applying mathematical principles to biological and medical applications and exploring different modeling approaches including stochastic and deterministic methods. Currently, in the Thurley lab, Rosa focuses on modeling cell communication networks, particularly delving into modeling approaches centered around waiting time distributions and related non-Markovian processes. Beyond her academic interests she finds joy in activities such as soccer, rock climbing and surfing and enjoys the sunny and pleasant weather.

 Madheshvaran Suresh, PhD student 

 Madhesh holds a BS-MS dual degree from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (IISER Pune), majoring in Biology. He had earned the DAAD-WISE fellowship, enabling him to undertake his master's research project on computational immunology at the University of Duisburg-Essen. At the Thurley lab, he utilises data-driven mathematical models to understand innate immune responses associated with hyperinflammation from mechanistic and quantitative perspectives. Outside of his academic pursuits, he finds tranquillity in cooking, exploring new destinations and creative sketching. 

Lukas Kiwitz, PhD student

Lukas studied Biology and Biophysics at Humboldt-University Berlin with a particular focus on computational modelling and data analysis. He is interested in spatio-temporal modelling of immune cell populations and the analysis of spatial single cell data in the context of cancer immunology. In the Thurley Lab, he works on building image analysis pipelines for multiplexed immunofluorescence data  of clinical samples. Additionally, he analyzes spatial single-cell data to research the complex interactions of the tumor micro-environment. 

Joanna Schnorr, Student Assistant

Joanna studies mathematics at the University of Bonn, mainly focusing on stochastics, with a special interest in biological applications. In the Thurley group, she works on non-Markovian model formulations for cell communications. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, muscular endurance training and ice skating in the winter. 

Swetha Sankameswaran, Student Assistant

Swetha is pursuing her M.Sc. in Immunobiology at the University of Bonn. As a part of the curriculum, she explores the molecular mechanisms underlying antigen cross-presentation especially by Macrophages with various immuno-techniques. As her interest inclines towards spatial biology of immune cells and transcriptomics, currently in the Thurley group, she is working on transcriptomics data analysis. In her free time, Swetha enjoys reading novels, playing badminton and traveling with friends.

Alumni and graduations in the lab

  • Riham Ahmed (2024), Postdoc Fellow from AIMS South Africa
  • Kilian Volmer (2023-2024), Msc Mathematics.
  • Fabian Hauser (2023-2024), Msc Mathematics.
  • Patrick Brunnder (2020-2023), PhD student Biophysics.
  • Janhavi Prabhu (2023-2024), Msc Mathematics.
  • Gemma van der Voort (2021-2023), PhD Student Comp Biol, now AG Hölzel, UKB-IEO.
  • Gino Kwon (2019-2023), PhD student Biophysics, now AG Hegazy, Charite Berlin.
  • Joshua Schiffer (2022-2023), Msc Mathematics, now at Deutsche Bank.
  • Anusha Joshi (2022-2023), Msc Mol Cell Biol.
  • Rosa Kreider (2021-2023), Msc Mathematics, now PhD with us.
  • Helene Glöckner (2021-2023), Msc Mathematics, now at MPI Metereologie Hamburg
  • Bastian Ulmer MD (2022), now at Uniklinikum Köln. 
  • Philipp Burt PhD (2018-2022), PhD Biophysics, now at Biontech Mainz.
  • Gustav Geißler (2019-2020), Msc Physics (Humboldt University Berlin).
  • Zuzanna Borek (2019-2020), guest scientist. 
  • Pau Pascual Mas (2020), Bsc Biotechnology (University of Barcelona). 
  • Paraskevi Voula Tassopoulou (2019), Msc Molecular Medicine  (Charite University Hospital Berlin). 
  • Sebastian Serve (2017-2018), Bsc Mathematics, student research project.