Workshop 20 January 2025

List of people who will participate at workshop for convergence environments. Will be updated.

Microbiology and antimicrobial resistance

Name	Research topic(s) of interest and/or competence	Title or short description (2-3 sentences) of initial project idea
Luiza ANGHELUTA-BAUER	Physical modelling of biological systems, Complex systems, Active matter, Biophysics
Alexandre Corthay	Cancer immunotherapy, immunology, macrophages, T cells, tumor on chip, cell biology	Development of novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy. T cell-based immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, but most patients with advanced cancer do not respond to current treatments or relapse. We propose to develop alternative strategies for cancer immunotherapy by taking advantage of other types of immune cells with anti-cancer activity such as macrophages. The ability of macrophages to eliminate invading bacteria may potentially be used to fight cancer, and vice versa.
Bj?rn Dalhus	Structural biology, molecular interactions, drug design, enzyme inhibitors, peptide drug design, molecular modeling. Cancer, antimicrobial resistance, neurodegenerative diseases, DNA repair.	We have experiences in recombinant protein production and purification, protein stability and interaction studies. Several technologies for drug-target interaction studies, drug-target affinities, 3D modeling of molecular interactions and drug-target optimization. Of particular interest are cancer, antimicrobial resistance and neurodegenerative diseases.
Susanne Dudman	Antiviral resistance development, virus evolution, vaccine studies, One health
Camila Esguerra	Disease models, Drug discovery, Tissue xenografting, Toxicology
Osman Gani	Computer-aided drug design (CADD). Molecular Modeling
Trond Vidar Hansen	Microbiology and antimicrobial resistance	Resolving bacterial infections and reducing resistance targeting the host immune response
Finn-Eirik Johansen	vertebrate immunology, aquaculture	Comparative studies of immune responses in mammals, fish and fish with evoutionary losses of immune genes important for function of the mammalian adaptive immune system (e.g. MHC class II locus lost in Atlantic cod). An emphasis on evolution of antibody responses in vaccinated (or infected) induviduals (i.e. days and weeks) as well as in evolutionary time (million years), by comparison between species.
Dirk Linke	bacteria-surface interactions	novel antimicrobial apporaches that inhibit bacterial adhesion
Reidar Lund	- mechanisms of antimicrobial peptides - nanomedicine: encapsulation of antibiotics - biophysical characterisation techniques for peptide/protein-membrane interactions	Mechanism of action and encapsulation of antimicrobial peptides
Ute Krengel	Structural biology & infection biology	Amyloids: Curse or Opportunity? �C From Medicine to Cultural Heritage
Josefine Eils? Nielsen	antimicrobial peptides, peptoids, drug delivery, self-assembly, structural characterization, antibiotics, antivirals, peptide-lipid interactions
John N. Parker	I am a sociologist of science with expertise in how to best create the kinds of organizations, groups, and social interactions that best facilitate creative interdisciplinary research. My interest is in joining a team to help them plan how they might best organize themselves for interdisciplinary success.
Fernanda Cristina Petersen	Resistome, microbiome, AMR	This project idea is to focus on harnessing the potential of microbiota modulation to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within the framework of the One Health approach. By leveraging interventions such as probiotics, prebiotics, and microbiome-targeted therapies, we aim to restore microbial balance and reduce the spread of resistant pathogens across humans, animals, and the environment.
Simon Rayner	Precision Health, Science and Society	With the growth of misinformation, there is growing mistrust in science. I would like to integrate data from social media with metrics from scientific publications to investigate the interactions between science and society. For example, which scientific publications generate the most interest on social media? Which ones are associated with positive discussions?which ones are most misrepresented.?This would be a good opportunity for collaborations involving clinicians, life scientist and social sciences
Roger Simm	Molecular microbiology, Antimicrobial resistance, biofilms	We are interested in understanding novel antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and resistance, selection and co-selection in a One Health perspective. We also try to identify inhibitors of resistance mechanisms and characterize how they work and can be used to mitigate the risks and consequences of AMR.
Anne Spurkland	Molecular immunology, adaptive immunity, cellular signaling, adaptor molecules, host-microbe interactions, intrinsically disordered proteins	Biomolecular condensates in the machinery of life. Biomolecular condensates formed via phase separation is a newly appreciated and currently understudied phenomenon governing a wide range of cellular behaviour in health and disease. There is a need for novel theoretical and experimental approaches to adress the emerging properties of biomolecular condensates across multiple cell types and organisms.
Ole Andreas ?kstad	Antimicrobial resistance development, Microbial comparative and functional genomics, Microbial evolution, Bacterial virulence mechanisms	UiO AMR - Cross-faculty AMR research initiative (LSB-CE)
yunpeng Wang	Systems brain health: Genetics, microbiome-host interaction; psychosocial stress; psychopathology; Machine Learning and modelling; Lifespan perspectives.	I am interested in systems brain health which is under the influence of one's genetic composition, lifestyle choices and socioeconomic factors. The effects of the later two contributors can captured by the variation in one's commensal microbiota. To investigate this complex interactions I will take a lifespan perspective, by which the optimal window of intervention to prevent brain disorders can be uncovered.
Hanne Winther-Larsen	Molecular microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine development, One health, animal health.	Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major global health threats. Our research groups is interested in approaching this problem on different ways from to understand basic biological mechanisms to drug use and new antimicrobial strategies.

The machinery of life - molecular mechanisms and organism biology

Name	Research topic(s) of interest and/or competence	Title or short description (2-3 sentences) of initial project idea
Luiza ANGHELUTA-BAUER	Physical modelling of biological systems, Complex systems, Active matter, Biophysics
Melinka Butenko	Signalling systems, toxins, structural biology, peptide activity, plant pathogen interactions.
Stig Ove B?e	Advanced light microscopy, cell migration, tissue dynamics, biomechanics, active matter physics, developmental biology, tissue regeneration	Bridging Active Matter Physics with Gene Regulation and Biological Evolution
Alexandre Corthay	Cancer immunotherapy, immunology, macrophages, T cells, tumor on chip, cell biology	Development of novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy. T cell-based immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, but most patients with advanced cancer do not respond to current treatments or relapse. We propose to develop alternative strategies for cancer immunotherapy by taking advantage of other types of immune cells with anti-cancer activity such as macrophages. The ability of macrophages to eliminate invading bacteria may potentially be used to fight cancer, and vice versa.
Bj?rn Dalhus	Structural biology, molecular interactions, drug design, enzyme inhibitors, peptide drug design, molecular modeling. Cancer, antimicrobial resistance, neurodegenerative diseases, DNA repair.	We have experiences in recombinant protein production and purification, protein stability and interaction studies. Several technologies for drug-target interaction studies, drug-target affinities, 3D modeling of molecular interactions and drug-target optimization. Of particular interest are cancer, antimicrobial resistance and neurodegenerative diseases.
Dag Kristian Dysthe	mechanobiology, cellular and tissue motion, mechanics and dynamics, morphogenesis, sports physiology and biomechanics, novel imaging methods, traditional and AI-based image analysis, biosensor data collection and modeling.
Lars Eide	mitochondrial DNA dynamics, metabolism of branched-chain amino acids, bioenergetics, metabolic disease	"adaptive metabolites"; e.g. amino acid (derivatives) with regulative properties throughout the phylogeny
Camila Esguerra	Disease models, Drug discovery, Tissue xenografting, Toxicology
Finn-Eirik Johansen	vertebrate immunology, aquaculture	Comparative studies of immune responses in mammals, fish and fish with evoutionary losses of immune genes important for function of the mammalian adaptive immune system (e.g. MHC class II locus lost in Atlantic cod). An emphasis on evolution of antibody responses in vaccinated (or infected) induviduals (i.e. days and weeks) as well as in evolutionary time (million years), by comparison between species.
Ute Krengel	Structural biology & infection biology	Amyloids: Curse or Opportunity? �C From Medicine to Cultural Heritage
Alvaro K?hn-Luque	Mathematical modeling, knowledge-driven machine learning, digital twins, personalized cancer therapies, biomarkers, genomics, medical imaging.	Personalized cancer therapy integrating multi-type clinical data, biological experimentation, mechanistic mathematical models and artificial intelligence.
Dirk Linke	bacteria-surface interactions	novel antimicrobial apporaches that inhibit bacterial adhesion
Deo Pandey	Cancer research, epigenetics and transcription, kinases and kinase inhibitors, drug discovery	The aim is to advance our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of addiction and develop targeted therapies, addressing a critical and growing public health crisis with profound social and economic impacts. We will leverage advanced molecular biology techniques to identify and characterize shared molecular pathways, using drug screening and genetic approaches to pinpoint therapeutic targets. By integrating insights into cellular signaling, gene regulation, and pharmacological interventions, this collaborative effort seeks to drive the development of precision therapies for addiction disorders.
John N. Parker	I am a sociologist of science with expertise in how to best create the kinds of organizations, groups, and social interactions that best facilitate creative interdisciplinary research. My interest is in joining a team to help them plan how they might best organize themselves for interdisciplinary success.
Jonas Paulsen	bioinformatics, 3D genome organization, epigenetics, mechanobiology, gene transcription regulation	With an integrated computational approach, we will provide insight into the interactions between fundamental biological processes in gene expression across domains and in health and disease.
Simon Rayner	Precision Health, Science and Society	With the growth of misinformation, there is growing mistrust in science. I would like to integrate data from social media with metrics from scientific publications to investigate the interactions between science and society. For example, which scientific publications generate the most interest on social media? Which ones are associated with positive discussions?which ones are most misrepresented.?This would be a good opportunity for collaborations involving clinicians, life scientist and social sciences
Biswajyoti Sahu	Gene expression, 3D genome and chromatin biology, epigenetics, cancer research, transcription factors
Roger Simm	Molecular microbiology, Antimicrobial resistance, biofilms	We are interested in understanding novel antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and resistance, selection and co-selection in a One Health perspective. We also try to identify inhibitors of resistance mechanisms and characterize how they work and can be used to mitigate the risks and consequences of AMR.
Anne Spurkland	Molecular immunology, adaptive immunity, cellular signaling, adaptor molecules, host-microbe interactions, intrinsically disordered proteins	Biomolecular condensates in the machinery of life. Biomolecular condensates formed via phase separation is a newly appreciated and currently understudied phenomenon governing a wide range of cellular behaviour in health and disease. There is a need for novel theoretical and experimental approaches to adress the emerging properties of biomolecular condensates across multiple cell types and organisms.
Hanne Winther-Larsen	Molecular microbiology, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine development, One health, animal health.	Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major global health threats. Our research groups is interested in approaching this problem on different ways from to understand basic biological mechanisms to drug use and new antimicrobial strategies.
Manuela Zucknick	Statistical learning/ machine learning (ML) and AI for translational and clinical cancer research, in particular for personalised cancer therapies. Integration of data from diverse sources (multi-omics, drug screens, clinical, imaging, genomics) for prediction of drug response and synergies in pharmacogenomic screens and of prognosis and treatment response in patients. Machine learning for small and noisy (biomedical) data, e.g. through integration of knowledge and structure in ML.	AI and robotics for personalised cancer medicine: Next-generation pipelines and tools for overcoming drug resistance in cancer by studying the full dynamics and evolution of the tumor and its environment in large-scale screens, in vitro, in vivo and in silico.

Digital life science

Name	Research topic(s) of interest and/or competence	Title or short description (2-3 sentences) of initial project idea
Luiza ANGHELUTA-BAUER	Physical modelling of biological systems, Complex systems, Active matter, Biophysics
Lisbeth M Brevik	Digital life skills, digital life skills education, digital life skills and language education. Classroom studies in several school subjects.
Stig Ove B?e	Advanced light microscopy, cell migration, tissue dynamics, biomechanics, active matter physics, developmental biology, tissue regeneration	Bridging Active Matter Physics with Gene Regulation and Biological Evolution
Alexandre Corthay	Cancer immunotherapy, immunology, macrophages, T cells, tumor on chip, cell biology	Development of novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy. T cell-based immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, but most patients with advanced cancer do not respond to current treatments or relapse. We propose to develop alternative strategies for cancer immunotherapy by taking advantage of other types of immune cells with anti-cancer activity such as macrophages. The ability of macrophages to eliminate invading bacteria may potentially be used to fight cancer, and vice versa.
Dag Kristian Dysthe	mechanobiology, cellular and tissue motion, mechanics and dynamics, morphogenesis, sports physiology and biomechanics, novel imaging methods, traditional and AI-based image analysis, biosensor data collection and modeling.
Thomas Espeseth	Learning and memory as life processes, Cognition and brain-inspired artificial intelligence, AI explainability, Ethical AI and societal impact	The aim is to explore the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, AI, and societal impact by investigating how cognitive and brain data can inform and enhance artificial intelligence systems designed to support learning and communication, while also advancing scientific understanding of cognitive processes.
Osman Gani	Computer-aided drug design (CADD). Molecular Modeling
Alvaro K?hn-Luque	Mathematical modeling, knowledge-driven machine learning, digital twins, personalized cancer therapies, biomarkers, genomics, medical imaging.	Personalized cancer therapy integrating multi-type clinical data, biological experimentation, mechanistic mathematical models and artificial intelligence.
Nora E. H. Math��	Digital life skills and digital life skills education, digital citizenship education.	Digital life skills and digital life skills education, digital citizenship in education. Classroom studies in several school subjects.
Anthony Mathelier	computational biology, gene expression regulation, multi-omics, machine learning, AI, transcription factors	With an integrated computational approach, we will provide insight into the interactions between fundamental biological processes in gene expression across domains and in health and disease.
John N. Parker	I am a sociologist of science with expertise in how to best create the kinds of organizations, groups, and social interactions that best facilitate creative interdisciplinary research. My interest is in joining a team to help them plan how they might best organize themselves for interdisciplinary success.
Jonas Paulsen	bioinformatics, 3D genome organization, epigenetics, mechanobiology, gene transcription regulation	With an integrated computational approach, we will provide insight into the interactions between fundamental biological processes in gene expression across domains and in health and disease.
Simon Rayner	Precision Health, Science and Society	With the growth of misinformation, there is growing mistrust in science. I would like to integrate data from social media with metrics from scientific publications to investigate the interactions between science and society. For example, which scientific publications generate the most interest on social media? Which ones are associated with positive discussions?which ones are most misrepresented.?This would be a good opportunity for collaborations involving clinicians, life scientist and social sciences
Trine B Rounge	bioinformatics, computational biology, gene expression, health and disease	Use computational approaches to unravel the interplay between the different layers involved in gene expression.
Anne Spurkland	Molecular immunology, adaptive immunity, cellular signaling, adaptor molecules, host-microbe interactions, intrinsically disordered proteins	Biomolecular condensates in the machinery of life. Biomolecular condensates formed via phase separation is a newly appreciated and currently understudied phenomenon governing a wide range of cellular behaviour in health and disease. There is a need for novel theoretical and experimental approaches to adress the emerging properties of biomolecular condensates across multiple cell types and organisms.
J?rgen Sugar	Neuroscience, Memory	Attention is important for memory. How is attention formed in the brain and how is it used to successfully form memories? My idea is to record neural data in humans while they perform a memory task that is highly dependent on attention.
Koen Vervaeke	Neuroscience, microscopy, in vivo cellular imaging, mouse behavior and psychophysics, computational statistics, optogenetics, eye tracking, olfaction, visual and auditory physiology, learning and memory, Alzheimer's disease, brain tumours, sleep.
yunpeng Wang	Systems brain health: Genetics, microbiome-host interaction; psychosocial stress; psychopathology; Machine Learning and modelling; Lifespan perspectives.	I am interested in systems brain health which is under the influence of one's genetic composition, lifestyle choices and socioeconomic factors. The effects of the later two contributors can captured by the variation in one's commensal microbiota. To investigate this complex interactions I will take a lifespan perspective, by which the optimal window of intervention to prevent brain disorders can be uncovered.
Manuela Zucknick	Statistical learning/ machine learning (ML) and AI for translational and clinical cancer research, in particular for personalised cancer therapies. Integration of data from diverse sources (multi-omics, drug screens, clinical, imaging, genomics) for prediction of drug response and synergies in pharmacogenomic screens and of prognosis and treatment response in patients. Machine learning for small and noisy (biomedical) data, e.g. through integration of knowledge and structure in ML.	AI and robotics for personalised cancer medicine: Next-generation pipelines and tools for overcoming drug resistance in cancer by studying the full dynamics and evolution of the tumor and its environment in large-scale screens, in vitro, in vivo and in silico.
Rein Aasland	bioinformatics, bioinformatics data, gene expression, gene regulation, chromosomes, epigenetics, evolution	Use bioinformatics to how explore gene expression influences development and disease

Bioethics

Name	Research topic(s) of interest and/or competence	Title or short description (2-3 sentences) of initial project idea
Luiza ANGHELUTA-BAUER	Physical modelling of biological systems, Complex systems, Active matter, Biophysics
Alexandre Corthay	Cancer immunotherapy, immunology, macrophages, T cells, tumor on chip, cell biology	Development of novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy. T cell-based immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, but most patients with advanced cancer do not respond to current treatments or relapse. We propose to develop alternative strategies for cancer immunotherapy by taking advantage of other types of immune cells with anti-cancer activity such as macrophages. The ability of macrophages to eliminate invading bacteria may potentially be used to fight cancer, and vice versa.
Alvaro K?hn-Luque	Mathematical modeling, knowledge-driven machine learning, digital twins, personalized cancer therapies, biomarkers, genomics, medical imaging.	Personalized cancer therapy integrating multi-type clinical data, biological experimentation, mechanistic mathematical models and artificial intelligence.
John N. Parker	I am a sociologist of science with expertise in how to best create the kinds of organizations, groups, and social interactions that best facilitate creative interdisciplinary research. My interest is in joining a team to help them plan how they might best organize themselves for interdisciplinary success.
Manuela Zucknick	Statistical learning/ machine learning (ML) and AI for translational and clinical cancer research, in particular for personalised cancer therapies. Integration of data from diverse sources (multi-omics, drug screens, clinical, imaging, genomics) for prediction of drug response and synergies in pharmacogenomic screens and of prognosis and treatment response in patients. Machine learning for small and noisy (biomedical) data, e.g. through integration of knowledge and structure in ML.	AI and robotics for personalised cancer medicine: Next-generation pipelines and tools for overcoming drug resistance in cancer by studying the full dynamics and evolution of the tumor and its environment in large-scale screens, in vitro, in vivo and in silico.

No specified topic

Name	Research topic(s) of interest and/or competence	Title or short description (2-3 sentences) of initial project idea