Advisory Board
Since 2006, the GAIN Advisory Board has advised the New York office and provided important input on thematic priorities, program design, and activities. The board members serve as direct points of contact for members of the GAIN network, represent them in the press, and appear as experts at conferences and workshops.
The Advisory Board is composed of GAIN members, with particular emphasis on a balanced distribution by location, discipline, and academic rank.
Do you have questions or suggestions for the GAIN Advisory Board? Write to us at info@gain-network.org.
Dr. Mario Bogdanov
Postdoctoral Fellow, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA
- Decision Making, Cognitive Control, and Memory
- since 2022 on the Advisory Board
“As a member of the Advisory Board, my goal is to increase GAIN’s visibility – not only among German researchers in North America, but also among international scholars who are often unaware of the wide range of opportunities for research stays in Germany. In this way, I aim to strengthen the bilateral exchange of ideas between the German and North American research systems.”
Dr. Lisa Marieke Kluen
Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Neuroscience, California Institute of Technology, California, USA
- Social Computational Neuroscience
- since 2022 on the Advisory Board
“As a member of the GAIN Advisory Board, I would like to promote stronger networking among researchers living abroad – not only to provide support and exchange on career-related matters, but also on questions of everyday life.”
Dr. Katharina Hoebel
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA
- since 2024 on the Advisory Board
My research focuses on the intersection of medical imaging and artificial intelligence (AI). At the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, I work on developing AI-driven solutions for oncology. My focus is on creating models for the early detection and treatment of cancer. It is particularly important to me that these models are guided by the needs of physicians and patients. By combining interdisciplinary perspectives from medicine with the latest insights from AI research, I strive to fully harness the potential of AI to make a lasting impact on cancer care.
“What I value about GAIN: What I particularly appreciate about GAIN is its focus on the personal experiences of everyone involved. No career path is the same, which is why it’s essential for us as international researchers to acquire the tools we need to shape our own career stories.”
Dr. Manuel Iburg
as of September 2025 Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge, U.K.
- until 2025 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Rice University, Texas, USA
- since 2024 on the Advisory Board
Biological cells are masters at constructing structures on the nanoscale, surpassing even our most advanced and valuable processes (such as computer chips) in precision, flexibility, and sustainability. I am interested in how we can use cells to create highly functional protein-based nanostructures for a wide range of applications. In the process, we can also learn from cells how to develop even more sophisticated protein tools on the smallest scale.
“In the future, more and more researchers will face challenges with no simple solutions. Together with GAIN, I want to help German researchers connect, learn, and exchange ideas abroad — because only through this broad network can research in Germany equip itself for the 21st century.”
Dr. Uta Mohring
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (DFG Walter Benjamin Fellowship), Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands
- 2022-2024: Postdoctoral Researcher, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Operations management, logistics, on-demand transportation
- since 2024 on the Advisory Board
“GAIN offers a unique network that fosters vibrant, interdisciplinary exchange among German researchers living abroad and makes a significant contribution to increasing transparency between researchers abroad and key institutions within the German research landscape.”
Dr. Juliane Schröter
Postdoc Research Scientist, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
- Theoretical Immunology
- since 2024 on the Advisory Board
“GAIN offers numerous opportunities to build valuable networks among researchers, as well as with research institutions and funding organizations. By joining the GAIN Advisory Board, GAIN enables me to bring the knowledge, insights, and experiences I have gained abroad back to Germany – helping to keep Germany’s research landscape attractive for researchers living abroad in the future.”
Dr. Georgios Toupalas
Feodor Lynen Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts, USA
- Functional materials, reversible polymer chemistry
- since 2024 on the Advisory Board
I study reversible polymerization reactions for the creation of new materials. What I particularly enjoy about my research is its wide range of potential applications – for example, in the targeted transport and release of active agents in the body or in energy storage from sunlight. This allows me to gain insights into different disciplines while striving to apply my research to key technologies.
“What I appreciate most about GAIN: is that it provides an international forum for open and direct exchange between all actors in the scientific community – from researchers to universities and funding organizations, all the way to political decision-makers.”
Dr. Manolis Ulbricht
University of St. Thomas (UST) in Houston, Texas
- until 2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
- Christian-Muslim Relations, Byzantine Empire, Medieval History
- since 2024 on the Advisory Board
“I see the GAIN Advisory Board as a shared forum for discussing new science and research policy discourses with colleagues. At the same time, through my participation, I want to give back to the network from which I have personally benefited.”
Former Members of the GAIN Advisory Board
| Dr. Mridul Agrawal, MSc | Postdoctoral Fellow Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA/Co-Founder, iuvando Health GmbH, Mannheim, Germany |
from 2020 | to 2023 |
| Dr. Aline Gottlieb | Post-Doctoral Fellow Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Physiology |
from 2020 | to 2023 |
| Veronika Zablotsky, Ph.D. |
Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy, University of California, Los Angeles Seit 2021, wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Institut für Philosophie, Freie Universität Berlin |
from 2020 | to 2023 |
| Dr. rer. nat. Jan-Ulrik Dahl | Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL | from 2020 | to 2023 |
| Prof. Dr. Christian W. Pester | Thomas K. Hepler Early Career Professor of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University (PA) | from 2020 | to 2023 |
| Dr. Matthias Schmid | Research Assistant Professor, Department of Automotive Engineering, Clemson University, South Carolina | from 2018 | to 2023 |
| Prof. Dr. Katharina Schultebraucks | Assistant Professor in Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, Director of Computational Medicine and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University | from 2020 | to 2023 |
| Prof. Dr. Frauke Zeller | Professue in HCI & Creative Informatics an der Edinburgh Napier University in Schottland |
from 2018 | to 2023 |
| Dr. Ulrike Klenke | Director, Amgen Scholars Program/Scientific Program Manager, Office of Training and Education, Bethesda, National Institutes of Health | from 2018 | to 2023 |
| Dr. Martin R. Lichtenthaler MBA | Co-Founder & Consultant | from 2018 | to 2023 |