The Helmholtz Institute Würzburg (HIRI) welcomed two new PhD students to its graduate program “RNA & Infection”: Jakob Jeschonneck and Jonathan Scheler started their work at the institute in 2024.
Jakob completed his bachelor’s degree from the University of Ulm and his master’s degree from the University of Regensburg, with a brief research stint at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. He brings extensive experience in RNA biology and a strong interest in translating discoveries into therapeutic approaches.
Jonathan earned his BSc from the University of Freiburg and his MSc from University of Bonn. He comes with an explicit interest in both RNA and infection biology, as well as international experience through an internship at St. Andrews in Scotland and industrial expertise through an internship working on molecular diagnostics at Roche. Furthermore, he was president of the “Medical Immunology and Infection Sciences” student council as a master’s student.
A special feature of the HIRI graduate program: At the beginning, new graduate students participate in three short laboratory rotations. These rotations provide an overview of the research and techniques of the respective labs. Jakob started in July and explored the labs of Emmanuel Saliba, Chase Beisel, and Franziska Faber—ultimately joining the latter. Jonathan is now rotating through the same groups.
