The group in December 2021
Francisco Balzarotti
Group Leader
Francisco studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Buenos Aires, where he then pursued a PhD in Optics and Plasmonics. As postdoctoral researcher, he worked in the field of Super Resolution Microscopy, developing innovative microscopy concepts at the Department of NanoBiophotonics at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, led by Nobel Laureate Stefan W. Hell.
Since 2020, he is a Group Leader at the Research Institute for Molecular Pathology and also counts with the support of the European Research Council.
Jakub Dokulil
Master’s student
Jakub and physics was a love at first sight. He did his bachelor’s in Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology at TU Brno. He also helped in the FabLab Experience mobile workshop, presenting the new technologies to the pupils. Jakub is doing his master’s in physics at University of Vienna. He is enthusiastic about new technologies. He likes to spend his free time climbing with friends or hiking in the mountains.
Maximilian Korbinian Geismann
PhD Candidate
Max studied Computer Engineering (Bachelor’s) and Electrical Engineering (Master’s) at the TU Wien in Vienna. In his Master thesis he investigated pole expansions for the scattering matrix of complex scattering systems. Max plays drums and acoustic guitar and is in general passionate about music. Besides that he enjoys discussing physics and libre software.
Alba Gómez-Segalàs
PhD Candidate
Alba holds a B.Sc in physics from the University of Barcelona and continued with M.Sc in Optics and Photonics at the Karlsruher Institute of Technology. In her Master’s Thesis she worked on non-invasive optical detection technologies for skin spectra in the mid-infrared.
Francisco Matos
Master’s student
Originally from Panama, he obtained his bachelor’s in engineering physics from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. During the last year of his bachelor’s, he worked under the supervision of Canada Research Chair in Advanced Photonics Components, developing sensors based on fiber Bragg gratings aimed to improve the quality of medical observations in remote locations. Franz is currently partaking in the Erasmus Master Program: Photonics for Security, Reliability and Safety (PSRS), which allowed him to study at the Université Jean Monnet (France), the University of Eastern Finland and the Politecnico di Torino (Italy) before starting his thesis in the Balzarotti lab.
Alessandro Passera
PhD Candidate
Alessandro studied Molecular Biology at the Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa). He worked on piRNAs at CRUK Cambridge for his Bachelor’s thesis and did metabolic imaging of neurons for his Master’s. He liked imaging and biophysics so much that now he wants to check just how small you can go in a cell. In his free time, he likes to play ultimate frisbee, play the saxophone, play Dungeons&Dragons with his friends – he just likes to play a lot.
Mehrta Shirzadian
PhD candidate
Mehrta studied theoretical computer science for her BSc and mathematical modelling for her MSc. She likes interdisciplinary research, where input from several fields is necessary to solve the problem – it is no surprise why she finds herself at home in the Balzarotti lab. When not working she enjoys reading novels, painting , visiting amusement parks and traveling. At the end of the day you can usually find her around the campus, socialising to unwind after work.
Eva-Maria Wiedemann
Research Assistant
Eva, our research assistant, has been at the IMP for over 30 years, assisting group leaders and conducting her own projects. She explored a wide range of topics, from cancer research over neuroscience and immunology. In our group she is responsible for the wet lab management and for the sample preparations. In her free times she is a passionate photographer featured in many magazines and exhibitions, she loves traveling and working in her garden to produce rare fruits and vegetables.