NOMIS–ISTA Fellowship Program
In our incredibly complex world, discoveries often give rise to new questions—questions whose answers lie at the intersection of disciplines. To continue making discoveries, gaining insights and advancing human progress, we must approach these questions from an interdisciplinary perspective. But interdisciplinary research is not always straightforward, and researchers who are determined to answer fundamental crosscutting questions may lack the right environment for such exploration.
To tackle this issue, the NOMIS Foundation and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have launched an interdisciplinary basic research program for exceptional postdoctoral scientists.
The NOMIS–ISTA Fellowship Program is designed to provide excellent postdoctoral researchers the freedom to pursue big questions at the intersection of two or more scientific disciplines in a collaborative research environment, while also providing outstanding scientific mentorship from proven leaders in their respective fields.
ISTA offers an enabling environment; state-of-the-art resources; dedicated mentorship from established, high-caliber scientists; and scientific leadership training. Fellowships span a range of fields, including biology, neuroscience, physics, chemistry, computer science and mathematics.
For more information or to apply to the NOMIS–ISTA Fellowship Program, please visit ISTA’s Postdocs page.
People
Fernanda Pérez-Verdugo is a NOMIS–ISTA Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), who is working with the research groups of Anđela Šarić (Computational Soft and Living Matter) and Edouard Hannezo (Physical Principles in Biological Systems).
NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
Baptiste Coquinot is a NOMIS–ISTA Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), working closely with the research groups of Mikhail Lemeshko (Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics), as well as external collaborator Nikita Kavokine (Quantum Plumbing Lab, EPFL).
NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
About Andrea Navas-Olive Andrea Navas-Olive is a NOMIS–ISTA Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), working with the research groups of Peter Jonas (Cellular Neuroscience) and Tim Vogels (Computational Neuroscience and Neurotheory). Navas-Olive received her BS degree in physics and MS in computer science and machine learning from the Autonomous University of […]
NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
About Andrei Militaru Andrei Militaru is a NOMIS–ISTA Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), working closely with the research groups of Johannes Fink (Quantum Integrated Devices) and Onur Hosten (Quantum Sensing with Atoms and Light). Militaru obtained his BS in electronics engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy) and his […]
NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
About Louise Fouqueau Louise Fouqueau is a NOMIS Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), who is working in collaboration with Nick Barton (Evolutionary Genetics), as well as external collaborator Yvonne Willi (Plant Ecology and Evolution, University of Basel). Fouqueau obtained a double degree in agronomical sciences (AgroParisTech, Paris, France) and evolutionary […]
NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
About Mandy Bethkenhagen Mandy Bethkenhagen is a NOMIS Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), working with the research groups of Bingqing Cheng (Computational Materials Science) and Caroline Muller (Atmosphere and Ocean Dynamics). Bethkenhagen studied physics at the University of Rostock (Germany), where she also obtained her PhD in theoretical physics in […]
Former NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
About Felix Frey Felix Frey is a NOMIS Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), who is working closely with the research groups of Anđela Šarić (Computational Soft and Living Matter) and Martin Loose (Self-Organization of the Cell). Born in Germany, Frey studied physics at Heidelberg University where he received a PhD […]
Former NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
About Gonçalo Oliveira Gonçalo Oliveira is a NOMIS Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). Having grown up in Lisbon, Portugal, Oliveira studied physics and mathematics at IST Lisboa (Universidade de Lisboa) before moving to Imperial College London where he received a PhD in mathematics in 2014. Since then, he has held […]
Former NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
About Maayan Levy Maayan Levy is a NOMIS Fellow at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). Levy received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and humanities (summa cum laude) from Tel-Hai Academic College (Israel) and proceeded to complete her master’s degree in biopsychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2012 she joined the […]
Former NOMIS Fellow
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
9 of 11 People
Publications
BMP-dependent patterning of ectoderm tissue material properties modulates lateral mesendoderm cell migration during early zebrafish gastrulation
Cell migration is a fundamental process during embryonic development. Most studies in vivo have focused on the migration of cells using the extracellular matrix (ECM) as their substrate for migration. In contrast, much less is known about how cells migrate on other cells, as found in early embryos when the ECM has not yet formed. Here, we show that lateral mesendoderm (LME) cells in the early zebrafish gastrula use the ectoderm as their substrate for migration. We show that the lateral ectoderm is permissive for the animal-pole-directed migration of LME cells, while the ectoderm at the animal pole halts it. These differences in permissiveness depend on the lateral ectoderm being more cohesive than the animal ectoderm, a property controlled by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling within the ectoderm. Collectively, these findings identify ectoderm tissue cohesion as one critical factor in regulating LME migration during zebrafish gastrulation.
Research Fields
Biology, Biomedical Research, Biophysics, Health Sciences, Molecular Biology, Natural Sciences
1 of 1 Publications
News
Biological processes depend on puzzle pieces coming together and interacting. Under specific conditions, these interactions can create something new without external input. This is called self-organization, as seen in a school of fish or a flock of birds. Interestingly, the mammalian embryo develops similarly. In PNAS, NOMIS–ISTA Fellow David Brückner and Gašper Tkačik from the Institute […]
May 15, 2024
Exploring uncharted territories
NOMIS–ISTA Fellow David Brückner was interviewed about his experience as a NOMIS Fellow at the Institute for Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). In this ISTA article, he shares how the fellowship is enabling him to pursue independent, interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven research. A new call for applications to the NOMIS–ISTA Fellowship Program is open until June […]
March 25, 2024
Call for applications to NOMIS–ISTA Fellowship Program
The NOMIS Foundation and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have opened a new call for proposals for the NOMIS–ISTA Fellowship Program, an interdisciplinary basic research program for exceptional postdoctoral scientists. The fellowship program provides postdocs with the freedom to work on big unanswered questions and high-risk research at the intersection of two […]
November 3, 2023
Giving early-career scientists the chance to chase untouchable ideas
The NOMIS Fellowship Programs at ETH Zurich, ISTA and the Salk Institute have been featured in an advertorial in Science. NOMIS Fellows David Brückner, Anna-Maria Globig, Maayan Levy, Zhi Liu and Craig Walton, along with Didier Queloz, the director of the Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life at ETH, shared their perspectives on the importance of […]
December 20, 2022
Three new NOMIS Fellows join ISTA
This autumn, three new post-doctoral fellows have begun their scientific pursuits at multiple labs at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), raising the count of NOMIS fellows on campus from four to seven. With its characteristic “high risk, high reward” approach, the NOMIS–ISTA Fellowship Program allows for probing at overlooked scientific niches, owing […]
April 12, 2022
NOMIS Fellowship Program at ISTA: Enabling high-risk research across disciplinary borders
The research of NOMIS Fellows Maayan Levy and David Brückner has been profiled in an article on the Institute of Science and Technology Austria’s website. The institute recently announced a new call for proposals for the NOMIS Fellowship Program at ISTA. The deadline for applications is 14:00 (CEST) on June 14, 2022. The NOMIS Fellowship […]
February 22, 2022
Martin Hetzer appointed president of ISTA
NOMIS board member Martin Hetzer has been appointed president of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria, a NOMIS partner institution, effective January 2023. Hetzer is currently a senior vice president and chief science officer at the Salk Institute, also a NOMIS partner. Molecular biologist Martin Hetzer, who has spent close to 20 years conducting […]
November 19, 2021
David Brückner awarded Gustav Hertz Prize
NOMIS Fellow David Brückner has been awarded the 2022 Gustav Hertz Prize for his outstanding theoretical work on the migration of cells in spatially constrained environments. His dynamic modeling of complex systems reveals a new understanding of cancer cell movement and interaction. This highly interdisciplinary research has relevance to both biology and medicine. Migrating cells, […]
