Postdoc Network
The Postdoc Network (PDN) was formed to represent the Postdocs' interests and to achieve the best conditions for career perspectives and scientific output.
Main Topics of the PDN
- Our website and mailing list provide general information about the PDN and offer a platform for Postdocs to communicate with each other and discuss issues important to them.
- The PDNC represents the Postdoc voice within the DKFZ, and to other organizations such as the Helmholtz Network and the Health+Life Science Alliance throughout Germany.
- In collaboration with the DKFZ Advanced Training Center, the PDN organizes seminars and workshops tailored to Postdocs' needs.
- Together with the Career Service the PDN organizes Career Days. The aim is to provide postdocs at our institute with insights into different career paths in specific fields. We invite alumni and other (postdoctoral) researchers to briefly share their personal career paths. The participants are given ample time to join round table discussions and to network with invited guests.
- The Annual Symposium aims to encourage scientific and social interactions between Postdocs in order to improve the research and personal experience of scientists.
- The Lunch Talk Series was started by the PDN and the BioMed X Innovation Center to provide a platform for intellectual exchange between researchers working in diverse fields of life science research in Heidelberg.
- The “Research Lounge – let’s talk science” encourages scientific collaboration and discussion within the DKFZ.
Upcoming Events
BioMedX and the DKFZ PDNC Lunch Talk - April 24th, 2025 11am at the Communications Center K1/K2
Arnau Sebé-Pedrós - “Early metazoan cell type diversity, evolution, and regulation”
About Arnau - I am an evolutionary biologist with expertise in both experimental and computational methods, and with a broad range of interests at the crossroads of genomics, epigenetics, transcriptomics, biodiversity, and evolution. The main questions at the core of my research are how genome sequence and its regulation translate into specific cellular phenotypes; and how this genotype-phenotype link evolves.
During my PhD at the University of Barcelona, I investigated the genomics and cellular origins of animal multicellularity, using comparative genomics and transcriptomics. This work showed that, contrary to established views, many genes that are considered as essential for multicellular functions have a pre-metazoan origin. During my period as a Research Associate at IBE-CSIC, I moved beyond gene content, using high-throughput proteomics and chromatin profiling methods to comparatively study a close unicellular relative of animals (Capsaspora owczarzaki). These studies revealed important differences to animals in terms of the genome regulatory architecture (Cell, 2016) and signaling complexity. I continued with my postdoc at the Weizmann Institute of Science (supported by EMBO and Weizmann Institute fellowships) to (i) explore the evolution of animal regulatory genome and (ii) develop single-cell genomics tools and computational methods to systematically study cell type diversity and regulation in early-branching animal lineages.
I started my independent group at the CRG in 2019, where we continue to explore challenging and innovative questions about cell type evolution from a regulatory genomics perspective. In 2023 I was elected EMBO YIP member, and in 2024 I joined the Wellcome Sanger Institute as Associate Faculty within the Tree of Life program.
In the “Lunch Talk Series," group leaders from BioMed X Institute and the Postdoc Network of the German Cancer Research Center invite renowned life scientists to share their research and foster scientific exchanges. Snacks and drinks are served after the talk.

The Postdoc Network Committee
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Dr. Anna Kolodziejczak
Speaker
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Dr. Fiona Brown
Speaker
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Dr. Simon Linder
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Dr. Alexandra Lipka
Research scientist
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Dr. Thomas Kerzel-Gnaneswaran
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Sophie Bromberger
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Agnieszka Seretny
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Dr. Simay Celikyürekli
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Dr. Sonja Herter
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Dr. Mohammad Abukhalaf
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Tanwei Yuan
PhD Student

We are always looking for new enthusiastic PDN committee members!
Join the PDN committee today by subscribing to the PDN committee mailing list by emailing to PDN-committee(at)dkfz.de and by attending the fortnightly committee meetings.
- Improve communication and spread information between Postdocs
- Participate in the organization of events and seminars
- Welcome incoming postdocs by providing them with relevant information concerning their work at the DKFZ and their life in Heidelberg
- Share and discuss career-related issues
If you are interested in keeping up to date with Postdoc news and events, please subscribe to the Postdoc Network mailing list (PDN(at)dkfz.de) by emailing postdoc(at)dkfz-Heidelberg.de.
News for Postdocs
Gallery

A stroll along the Weihnachtsmarkt with postdocs from DKFZ and Uni Heidelberg (COS)