Incubator for outstanding researchers: The Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI) is committed to promoting the next generation of scientific talent. In doing so, the HIRI not only strengthens its network but also demonstrates that, with its outstanding expertise in RNA-based infection research and in close collaboration with other Würzburg institutions, it offers excellent conditions for sharpening scientific profiles and launching successful careers. A recent example is Mathias Munschauer. The former HIRI group leader just accepted a W3 professorship in “Molecular Virology” at the Medical Faculty at Heidelberg University.
Munschauer studies RNA viruses and their interactions with human cells. His particular focus is on the processes that occur after viral RNA enters the cell, processes that determine whether an infection will be successful. His goal is to systematically map these early events and analyze them using computer-based methods, including artificial intelligence. His research thus lays the groundwork for the development of RNA-based therapeutics and helps assess the pandemic potential of newly emerging viruses at an early stage.
Among his achievements at the HIRI is the development of the first global atlas of direct interactions between SARS-CoV-2 RNA and human host cells. In 2022, he successfully secured a Starting Grant from the European Research Council to study SARS-CoV-2.
