Elda obtained her M.Sc (2020) in Integrative Structural Biology in Grenoble, France. She then pursued her PhD at the Institute of Structural Biology (IBS) of Grenoble under the supervision of Cecile Morlot, structural biologist specialized in bacterial cell morphology, and Christine Moriscot, expert in cellular electron microscopy (EM). Elda’s doctoral research focused on unraveling how the protective layers of Bacillus spores are assembled, in order to shed light on the mechanisms that make bacterial spores so resistant. To better visualize the different steps of spore formation, she implemented several cryo-sectioning techniques such as cryo-focused ion beam milling (cryo-FIB), Tokuyasu and CEMOVIS combined with cryo electron tomography (cryo-ET).

In late 2023, Elda joined the Loewith lab to investigate the ultrastructure and molecular organization of the S. cerevisiae plasma membrane (PM), with a particular focus on how TORC2, eisosomes, and membrane invaginations interact to maintain PM homeostasis. To resolve the architecture of the yeast PM in situ, Elda applies advanced cryo-electron microscopy techniques, including cryo-focused ion beam milling (cryo-FIB) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). Her overarching goal is to connect structural insights obtained in vitro with those observed in vivo, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of PM macrodomains and  their involvement in TORC2 signaling.

She is conducting this work as a joint postdoc with Andreas Boland’s lab. In 2024, she was awarded an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship (ALTF-245-2024) to support her project. 

Nesli obtained her B.Sc. (2012) and M.Sc. (2015) in Molecular Biology and Genetics in Turkey. She completed her PhD at the University Hospital Frankfurt under the supervision of Prof. Georg Auburger, as part of the International Max Planck Research School on Neural Circuits. She investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative movement disorders like ataxia and ALS in patient samples and mouse models, employing high-throughput transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome technologies. Her work revealed that lipid metabolism dysregulations and axon-myelin disconnection precede neuronal death. Driven by her interest in nutrient metabolism and its impact on neurodegeneration, she joined Loewith lab in 2021 to study the biochemical basis of glucose sensing and its link to TOR signaling in S. cerevisiae and mammalian cells. 

Nesli works on nutrient signaling upstream of TORC1 and TORC2 in S. cerevisiae and mammalian cells. Using classic yeast genetics, molecular and chemical biology tools, she is trying to pinpoint the sentinel intermediates in glycolysis that signal glucose availability to both complexes. She is also aiming to identify their sensor proteins and unveil the signaling cascade in between by employing orthogonal LC-MS/MS-based strategies. In parallel, she is investigating the conservation of her findings in mammalian cells using CRISPR-mediated genome editing and complementary biochemical techniques.

She is funded by NCCR Chemical Biology, ERC and SNSF Swiss Postdoctoral Fellowships.

After completing his B.Sc. (2014) and his M.Sc. (2016) at the University of Strasbourg (Unistra), Nathaniel was awarded a doctoral fellowship by the French ministry of research & higher education and completed his Ph.D. degree in Prof. H. Becker’s Lab (GMGM, UMR7156, Strasbourg, France). During his Ph.D. Nathaniel uncovered and characterized a new class of fungal-specific transferases in the human opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, responsible to synthesize aminoacylated-sterols using aminoacyl-tRNAs as substrate. Nathaniel, an enthusiastic fungologist, joined the team in 2022 as a EMBO post-doctoral fellow to launch a new topic within the group:  studying the interplay of TOR-signalling and pathogenicity in the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae.

Atsuko obtained her B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. in Agriculture from Hiroshima University, Japan, where she specialized in lipid metabolism and yeast genetics with a particular focus on sphingolipid homeostasis.
In April 2024, she joined Prof. Robbie Loewith’s group at the University of Geneva as a postdoctoral researcher. Her project investigates non-vesicular ceramide transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and integrates yeast genetics, lipid biochemistry, and structural biology approaches, including single-particle cryo-EM, to elucidate how the ER protein Tricalbin contributes to lipid homeostasis.
Her work is supported by the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research Abroad.

Víctor obtained his B.Sc. in Biochemistry (2018) and M.Sc. in Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology (2019) from the University of Seville. He joined Yasin Dagdas’s lab at the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI) in the Vienna Biocenter (Vienna, Austria) as a pre-doctoral intern in 2019. He joined the Vienna BioCenter PhD Program in 2020 and pursued his PhD in the Dagdas lab, where Víctor focused on the mechanistic characterization of selective autophagy receptors in plants. He obtained his PhD in 2025 and recently joined the Loewith lab to pursue his postdoctoral research. He will study the role of the TOR kinase during rice blast infection.

Víctor enjoys being an active member of the scientific community. He served as a PhD student representative at the GMI and organized PhD retreats and PhD Symposiums. Outside of the lab, Víctor is a sports enthusiastic, football passionate and football player himself. He also enjoys travelling, learning new languages and joining social events – but nobody knows how he finds the time to do it all.