Özgün Gökçe
After completing my molecular biology studies at Bogazici University in Istanbul, I became fascinated by brain function and the decline of these functions during neurodegeneration. Throughout my Ph.D. at EPFL in Lausanne, I honed my expertise in developing and characterizing neurodegeneration models, utilizing high-content imaging and transcriptomics, while embracing a data-driven research approach. As a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, under the guidance of Thomas Südhof and Stephen Quake, I contributed to the development and application of single-cell and long sequencing technologies.
In 2016, I established my independent research group at LMU Munich, focusing on hypothesis-free, bioinformatics-driven strategies to investigate brain aging. This approach led to several single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) studies, identifying a microglial state specific to aging white matter (Safaiyan et al., 2021, Neuron) and uncovering the role of CD8 T cells in age-related white matter loss (Kaya et al., 2022, Nature Neuroscience).
Starting from 2023, I move my group to the University of Bonn, where we will be developing and employing state-of-the-art technologies, such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics (ST), electron microscopy, and machine learning algorithms, to unravel the complex biological processes underlying aging and neurodegeneration.
Education and training
1999-2004 Molecular Biology and Genetics, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey
2002-2003 Research assistant in The Genetics Department, Yale University, CT, USA.
Advisor: M.D. Murat Gunel
2004-2009 Ph.D. student at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland as part of the European Union Nervous System Repair Network
2009-2012 Research fellow, Dept. of Molecular & Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
Advisors: M.D. Thomas C. Südhof
2009-2016 Research fellow, Dept. of Molecular & Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.
Advisors: M.D. Thomas C. Südhof & Stephan Quake Ph.D.
Honors and Awards
2020 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) Neurodegeneration Challenge Network NDCN Collaborative Pairs award
2020 Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung Key Research Grant
2019 Winner of ARCHES Award 2018/2019 (Minerva Stiftung)
2019-2026 Associate Investigator - Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology (SyNergy)
2018-2019 Friedrich-Baur-Stiftung
2016-2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Award
2014-2016 NARSAD Young Investigator Award
2014-2020 NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99), The National Institute on Drug Abuse
2011-2013 Stanford Dean's Postdoctoral Award
2009-2011 The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Early Postdoc Mobility Fellowship
2004-2007 Marie Curie Ph.D. Fellowship for Early Stage Research Training
2002-2003 Travel grant from the Scientific and Technical Council of Turkey & Pfizer Corporation
2001-2002 Student Project Grant from the Scientific and Technical Council of Turkey