Student Projects
MSc and BSc Students - Theses and Internships
We welcome interested Master and Bachelor students - primarily from ETH Zurich - and will provide supervision and mentoring during the time in the lab. The available projects fall within all areas of our research. Students are expected to have excellent academic qualifications, good communication skills, strong self-motivation and be interested in experimental and laboratory research. We offer projects in the area of molecular biology/metabolism/epigenetics and require experience in molecular and cellular biology. Projects have a duration of 12 weeks or longer.
Possible projedts are listed below, together with the information whom to contact. For more information or discussions, please contact Ferdinand von Meyenn directly and cc our teaching address ().
Current projects
HiWi / BSc / MSc Thesis Projects Available
Are you passionate about sustainable food innovation and human health? Join our interdisciplinary research initiative focused on plant-based meat analogs (PBMA) — a promising alternative to conventional meat, with the potential to meet growing protein demands while reducing environmental impact.
Despite their increasing popularity, the nutritional equivalence of PBMA to animal-based meat remains poorly understood. Our research aims to fill this gap by developing more nutritious PBMA and studying their impact on human health.
This collaborative project is led by the Sustainable Food Processing Laboratory and the Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolic Epigenetics. As a HiWi, Bachelor’s, or Master’s student, you’ll become an integral part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team.
Opportunities include:
- HiWi / BSc / MSc Projects: Develop innovative protocols to benchmark PBMA using in vitro and ex vivo systems, including human cell cultures, microfluidic devices, and microbiota cultivation.
- MSc Thesis Projects: Investigate the effects of short- and long-term PBMA consumption in vivo using cutting-edge omics technologies.
How to Apply:
Send your CV and a motivation letter to:
- Dr. Thomas Agius ()
- Dr. Fengzheng Gao ()
- CC: our teaching address ()
We look forward to welcoming motivated students motivated to contribute to the future of sustainable nutrition!
Description: Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is fragmented DNA that circulates in the bloodstream, originating from various tissues. It has been demonstrated that cfDNA retains cell-type specific epigenetic signatures that can be used to infer its tissue of origin. The analysis of cfDNA has garnered significant interest due to its potential applications in non-invasive diagnostics including cancer detection. However, at the early disease stage, the detection of the low number of pathological cfDNA remains challenging. This project aims to investigate the origins of cfDNA molecules by identifying and analyzing tissue-specific epigenetic markers, with the goal of developing improved tools and biomarkers for early-stage disease diagnosis.
- Advisor: Siyuan Luo
- Examiner: Prof. Dr. Ferdinand von Meyenn
Prerequisites: We are looking for students who have experience with Unix systems, proficiency in data analysis utilizing R or Python, and some understanding of next-generation sequencing (or a keen interest in learning about it). Other advantageous skills include expertise in machine learning and statistics.
Application: Please apply by sending i) a CV, ii) a short description of your motivation to join our lab, and iii) your desired starting time to Siyuan Luo () and cc our teaching address ().
References:
- Gai, W., and K. Sun. “Epigenetic Biomarkers in Cell-Free DNA and Applications in Liquid Biopsy. Genes (Basel). 2019; 10 (1).”
- Snyder, Matthew W., et al. “Cell-free DNA comprises an in vivo nucleosome footprint that informs its tissues-of-origin.” Cell 164.1 (2016): 57-68.
- Sadeh, Ronen, et al. “ChIP-seq of plasma cell-free nucleosomes identifies gene expression programs of the cells of origin.” Nature biotechnology 39.5 (2021): 586-598.
Bachelor/Master Thesis Project Opportunity
Iron deficiency is the most prevalent micronutrient deficiency globally. The main population affected are children and women of reproductive age, but it is present in the rest of the population as well. Microalgae represent a novel source with high nutritional values, including proteins, lipids, minerals, and vitamins. Microalgae are particularly rich in micronutrients, including iron, with the potential to help in the reduction and mitigation of iron deficiency worldwide as a more sustainable and valuable food source.
Stable iron isotopes can be used in nutrition studies to provide a robust understanding of iron absorption and metabolism. This bachelor/master thesis project will focus on developing the protocol for the labelling of microalgae with stable isotopes to support future in vivo trials. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the Sustainable Food Processing Laboratory and the Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolic Epigenetics.
- Direct Supervisor: Agon Besimi
- Co-Supervisor and co-examiner: Dr. Dr. Fengzheng Gao
- Examiner: Prof. Dr. Alexander Mathys or Prof. Dr. Ferdinand von Meyenn
How to apply
The project is available from now on. Please send your CV and motivation letter to Agon Besimi () and cc Dr. Fengzheng Gao () and our teaching address ().
Microalgae are sustainable novel foods with high nutritional values. Dr. Fengzheng Gao has several projects available for interested students:
- Project 1: Microalgae production for different nutritional profiles
- Project 2: Nutritional composition characterization of available microalgal biomass
- Project 3: Biomass processing with different techniques for higher bioaccessibilities
- Project 4: Bioaccessibility assessment using in vitro method
- Project 5: Bioavailability assessment using ex vivo models of human cells
If you are a motivated candidate with related background, please send your CV and motivation letter to Dr. Fengzheng Gao () and cc our teaching address ().
Project Description
In recent years, epigenetic editing strategies based on the CRISPR/Cas
system have been developed that allow for precise and targeted modifications of both DNA and histones (Policarpi, Dabin and Hackett, 2021).
Moreover, some of these editing approaches have clearly highlighted combinatorial effects of multiple epigenetic marks on transcriptional outcomes (Policarpi et al., 2022). However, the role of combinatorial effects in the context of transcriptional memory is still largely unclear.
In this project, we aim to establish a set of reporter cell lines that will then be used to interrogate the effect of combinatorial editing on transcriptional memory.
What we will do
- Cloning of the reporter constructs (largely done at this point)
- Establish reporter cell lines via CRISPR-based editing
- Introduce epigenetic marks on the constructed reporters using a dCas9 based system Technique
- Cloning
- Cell culture
- CRISPR editing
- Epigenetic editing
- Fluorescence microscopy
- FACS
Your profile
- You are a master student looking for a semester project and/or a master thesis for at least 3 months (longer preferred).
- You have some practical experience in a lab setting
- You can handle frustrations (we are dealing with things that are not yet established in the lab)
How to Apply
Submit your CV and any other relevant information to Fabian Takacs () and cc our teaching address (). Please specify whether you are applying for an internship or master's thesis project, including your preferred start date, and highlight your relevant experience and skills.
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