Open House Event at St. Anna CCRI

Curious about a career in biomedical research? Join us for an exclusive evening at the St. Anna Children’s Cancer Research Institute. Join us for guided lab tours, inspiring talks, and personal insights from our scientists. Whether you’re thinking about thesis projects or a future career in research — this is your chance to connect.

When: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 | 6:30–8:00 PM
Location: Zimmermannplatz 10, 1090 Vienna
Registration Deadline: 13.10.2025

Register now

What to Expect

  • 6:30 PM: Welcome & Institute Introduction
  • 6:40 PM: Panel Discussion – Hear our experts share their career journeys and daily work experiences
  • 7:15 PM: Q&A at Standing Tables – Ask your questions in small, personal groups
  • 7:35 PM: Have a glimpse into our labs during the guided lab tours

This evening is designed to give you first-hand insights into working at St. Anna CCRI and inspire your next career step in biomedical research.

Meet our Scientists

Dr. Marie Bernkopf
Head of the Tumor Biology Diagnostics Team

I initially worked as BMA in a diagnostic lab for cancer und human genetics in Linz, Austria but soon decided to study further in the field of molecular biology. After a 2.5 years postdoc at University of Oxford, UK, where I worked on genetic mosaicism and NIPT, I joined the Tumour Biology group at CCRI in October 2018. Here I lead the team for pediatric solid tumour diagnostics and additionally work on translational research projects to bring new techniques and approaches (e.g. liquid biopsies) into diagnostics in order to improve risk stratification and survival of little cancer patients.

Mag. pharm. Theresa Michls
PhD Student

I studied Pharmacy at the University of Vienna and worked on bioconjugates for site-directed therapy of bladder cancer at ZHAW in Zurich. In my PhD project at St. Anna CCRI I am utilizing yeast surface display to engineer a clinically applicable molecular ON-switch for CAR T-cell therapy. This would allow us to control the activity of CAR T-cells in the body of patients, which could make the therapy safer and possibly more effective.

Peter Zöscher, MSc
Bioinformatician

I studied Molecular Biology at the FH Campus Wien and the University of Innsbruck and worked on targeted and Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) analysis at the Genetic Epidemiolgy of the Innsbruck Medical University. At St. Anna CCRI, I develop automated workflows for the processing and interpretation of WES and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) data and support research groups with bioinformatics analyses for the molecular profiling of childhood cancers.

Giada Disconzi, MSc
Lab Manager/Technical Assistant

I completed my Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnologies at the University of Padova and carried out my thesis at the University of Vienna on glycobiology. After an Erasmus stay in Belgium, during which I worked on nanoantibodies modeling, I joined St. Anna CCRI, where I work as a Lab Manager/Technical Assistant in the Taschner-Mandl group, supporting the wet lab research and lab organization focused on solid tumors investigation.

Dipl.-Ing. Hayeon Baik, PhD
Technical Assistant

I studied chemistry and cell biology before completing a PhD in cancer immunology in France. In 2019, I joined St. Anna CCRI as a technical assistant, where I support laboratory management and infrastructure. Alongside these responsibilities, I am involved in a project developing a T cell receptor to more effectively target tumor cells. I also serve as deputy poison control officer at St. Anna CCRI.

Berta Freilinger , BSc
Biomedical Analyst

I studied Biomedical Sciences at the FH for health sciences in Linz. At St. Anna CCRI, I work in the diagnostics team of the tumorbiology group. Here we perform immunocytological and molecular genetical tests to diagnose and monitor solid pediatric tumors such as Neuroblastoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma or Ewing’s Sarcoma. We use a broad spectrum of different methods for this purpose like Next Generation Sequencing, Automatic Immunofluorescence plus FISH, PCR.

Aleksandr Bykov, PhD
Bioinformatician

I got my PhD degree at Johns Hopkins Medical School MD, where I studied molecular aspects of muscle development in C. elegans. At St. Anna CCRI I work with different groups, helping them to analyze NGS data, including RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, ATAC-seq, CRISPR screens, Cut&Run, etc. as well as interpret the data and visualise it. 

Katharina Wiener, MSc
PhD student

I studied Biological Chemistry in Linz before switching to Molecular Biology for my Master at the University of Vienna where I worked on cell fate decisions in early mouse embryonic development. Since September 2024 I am a PhD student at CCRI working on the origins of two embryonal tumors. Here I use human stem cell models and single-cell sequencing techniques to understand how mutations push cells off their normal developmental trajectories.