"Ever since I started my academic career,
I have been fascinated by proteins, their biological role in organisms, and how we can study their diverse nature."
Dr. Philipp Heckmeier
I am a young scientist, originally from Munich, now living in Zurich, Switzerland. During my studies at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), I came in concact with protein biochemistry. Ever since, I have been fascinated by proteins, their biological role in organisms, and how we can study their diverse nature. In recent projects, I characterized protein-protein interactions via biochemical and spectroscopic techniques.
At the moment, I am a postdoctoral researcher in Zurich (Hamm group, UZH) where I investigate the dynamics of the oncogenic MCL-1 protein complex formation via IR spectroscopy.
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Teaching Awards
In autumn semester 2020 and 2021, I was awarded the Teaching Assistant Award by CMSZH Graduate School of the chemistry department of the University of Zurich (UZH).
Twice in a row, I received this award for teaching young and ambitious chemistry students at UZH.
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This award means a lot to me because I consider teaching a unique chance to spark students’ interest in my field and science in general. I really love to see the students’ enthusiasm to learn new things and I am extraordinarily thankful when it is valuated with such a beautiful award.
Recently Published
In two recent studies in the Journal of Molecular Biology and the Journal of Chemical Physics, we focused on the protein MCL-1, which plays a key role in the "programmed cell death" and thus in a numerous cancer types.
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To study this protein, we attached and destabilized its binding partner, the BH3 peptides, with an azobenzene photoswitch. We resolved the subsequent signal cascade using IR spectroscopic methods.
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I am particularly happy about these studies, as they are my first publications as a corresponding author.
More details in Recently Published.
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