Two IMP master's students awarded FEMtech fellowships
Katerina Popova and Julia Lammerding, master's students in the lab of Johannes Zuber, have been awarded FEMtech fellowships through the Austrian Research Promotion Agency's (FFG) "Praktika für Studentinnen 2026" programme. This funding encourages women to pursue careers in scientific and technological research and supports the students' work on genetic vulnerabilities in cancer.
Two IMP master's students have secured FEMtech funding for their research in the lab of Johannes Zuber. Katerina Popova will use the support for her master's thesis on genetic vulnerabilities in lung cancer, while Julia Lammerding's funded internship focuses on identifying biomarkers that could help guide cancer treatment. Both projects are funded under the 'Digital and Key Technologies' category of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency's (FFG) 'Praktika für Studentinnen 2026' programme.
Uncovering genetic vulnerabilities in lung cancer
Katerina Popova studies how the loss of tumour suppressor genes shapes the genetic dependencies of lung cancer cells. Building on the Zuber lab's research into cancer-specific vulnerabilities, she generates and compares lung cancer models in which different tumour suppressor genes have been inactivated, studying them both in cell culture and after growth in mice.
By combining genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screening with gene-expression profiling, Popova aims to identify synthetic-lethal interactions: vulnerabilities that arise when the loss of one gene makes cancer cells dependent on another for survival. Her project also examines how these dependencies change in different biological environments. Ultimately, the research could reveal therapeutic targets for more selective cancer treatments.
Popova completed a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a specialisation in microbiology and genetics before beginning her master's studies in Molecular Precision Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna. For her bachelor's thesis in Dea Slade's groups at MedAustron and Max Perutz Labs, she investigated radiation-induced anti-tumour immune responses in pancreatic cancer cells, focusing on nucleic acid sensing and interferon signalling. She also gained experience in molecular analysis of patient samples during an internship in neurology research at the AKH/Medical University of Vienna. Her contributions to scientific publications include a first-author review on PARP7 and anti-tumour immunity. She joined the Zuber lab at the IMP in June 2026.
Finding biomarkers to guide cancer treatment
Julia Lammerding's project aims to identify genetic alterations that make cancer cells more sensitive to specific anticancer therapies. Using CRISPR-based screens across different cancer models, she investigates deletions affecting both copies of a gene, aiming to identify the most promising genetic markers for predicting how cancers respond to treatment. These genetic markers could help clinicians predict which treatments—or combinations of treatments—are most likely to work.
Lammerding also studies drug-tolerant persister states in a lung cancer model. These states allow some cancer cells to survive treatment, and understanding them could shed light on how cells adapt to therapeutic pressure and evade drug-induced cell death.
Currently completing her Master's degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Vienna, Lammerding joined the Zuber lab in September 2026. During her master's training, she worked on cellular plasticity and metastatic capacity in breast cancer at the Medical University of Vienna and Cornell University in the United States. She previously earned a bachelor's degree in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Potsdam, Germany, and undertook additional training in preclinical and clinical research at the University of Barcelona, Spain, and Charité–University Medicine Berlin, Germany.
About the FFG and the FEMtech funding programme
The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) is Austria's national funding agency for applied research. FEMtech's "Praktika für Studentinnen" programme promotes women in research and technology through paid research placements. It is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) and administered by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG). The programme supports paid research placements for women studying scientific and technical subjects at companies and non-university research institutions.