toxins Editorial
Announcing the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards for Announcing the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards for Post-Doctoral Fellows and Ph.D. Students Post‐Doctoral Fellows and Ph.D. Students Vernon L. Tesh Editorial
Vernon L. Tesh
Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis, Medical Research and Education Building, Room 3002, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, 8447 State Highway 47, Bryan, Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis, Medical Research and Education Building, Room 3002, TX 77807, USA; [email protected] College of Medicine, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, 8447 State Highway 47, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; [email protected] Received: 1 February 2016; Accepted: 1 February 2016; Published: 6 February 2016 Received: 1 February 2016; Accepted: 1 February 2016; Published:
With the of goal of promoting development early career career investigators thethe field of toxinology, With the goal promoting the the development of ofearly investigators inin field of toxinology, Toxins welcomed applications for the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards for post-doctoral fellows and Ph.D. Toxins welcomed applications for the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards for post‐doctoral fellows and Ph.D. students. students. We received nearly 100 completed applications for the awards, and the overall quality of all We received nearly 100 completed applications for the awards, and the overall quality of all the applications was the applications was outstanding. While this bodes well for the future of toxinology, it certainly made outstanding. While this bodes well for the future of toxinology, it certainly made for a challenging task for the for a challenging task for the editors selecting the two finalists. On behalf of the editors of Toxins, I am editors selecting the two finalists. On behalf of the editors of Toxins, I am pleased to announce the winners of the pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Toxins Travel Awards for 2016. inaugural Toxins Travel Awards for 2016. The Toxins Travel Awards grantedto to Dr. Dr. Kartik Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow in in The Toxins Travel Awards are are granted Kartik Sunagar, Sunagar, Marie Skłodowska‐Curie Fellow Dr. Yehu Moran’s laboratory at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and to Dr. Philipp Wiemann, Dr. Yehu Moran’s laboratory at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and to Dr. Philipp Wiemann, a post-doctoral researcher Dr. Nancy Keller’s laboratory at the University Wisconsin-Madison,USA. a post‐doctoral researcher in Dr. inNancy Keller’s laboratory at the University of ofWisconsin‐Madison, USA. They will each receive 800 CHF to help support travel to present at scientific conferences in 2016. They will each receive 800 CHF to help support travel to present at scientific conferences in 2016.
Dr. Kartik Sunagar
Dr. Philipp Wiemann
Dr. Kartik Sunagar received his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Porto in Portugal in Dr. Kartik Sunagar received his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Porto 2013. In 2014, Dr. Sunagar was awarded the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie Individual Fellowship, one of the European in Portugal in 2013. In 2014, Dr. Sunagar was awarded the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Union’s most prestigious fellowships for post‐doctoral researchers. He joined Dr. Moran‘s laboratory, where he Fellowship, one of the European Union’s most prestigious fellowships for post-doctoral researchers. studies He animal to understand aspects evolutionary and ecology, particular joinedvenoms Dr. Moran‘s laboratory,various where he studiesin animal venomsbiology to understand variouswith aspects in emphasis on molecular evolution, predator–prey interactions, mechanisms of toxic action and the role evolutionary biology and ecology, with particular emphasis on molecular evolution, predator–prey of environmental and mechanisms ecological factors driving of venom—nature’s most factors complex biochemical interactions, of toxicin action andthe theevolution role of environmental and ecological in driving cocktail. In Dr. Moran’s letter of support, he wrote: “During the time Kartik spent in my lab he demonstrated the evolution of venom—nature’s most complex biochemical cocktail. In Dr. Moran’s letter of support, originality, intelligence and research skills spent that I in rarely encountered in a young researcher of a similar he wrote: "During the time Kartik my lab he demonstrated originality, intelligence andcareer stage.” Dr. Sunagar has published 15 peer‐reviewed research articles and five reviews or book chapters, including research skills that I rarely encountered in a young researcher of a similar career stage." Dr. Sunagar six papers in Toxins. He has been invited to present at a number of international conferences, including a recent has published 15 peer-reviewed research articles and five reviews or book chapters, including six oral presentation at the 18th World Congress of the International Society on Toxinology. Dr. Sunagar will use the Toxins Travel Award to attend the annual conference of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution on the Toxins 2016, 8, 41; doi:10.3390/toxins8020041 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, July 3–7, 2016.
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www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins
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papers in Toxins. He has been invited to present at a number of international conferences, including a recent oral presentation at the 18th World Congress of the International Society on Toxinology. Dr. Sunagar will use the Toxins Travel Award to attend the annual conference of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, July 3–7, 2016. Dr. Philipp Wiemann received his Ph.D. in Food Chemistry summa cum laude from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany in 2010 where he worked in the laboratories of Prof. Hans-Ulrich Humpf and Prof. Bettina Tudzynski. After a brief post-doctoral fellowship in Dr. Tudzynski’s laboratory, Dr. Wiemann joined the laboratory of Dr. Nancy P. Keller at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the Keller laboratory, he has been working with Aspergillus species, including the opportunistic human pathogen A. fumigatus, and the aflatoxin producing plant pathogen A. flavus. His research mainly focuses on a specific natural product of A. fumigatus, called hexadehydroastechrome, that, when over-produced, contributes to virulence in mice. In Dr. Keller’s letter of support, she wrote: "Philipp has been a fantastic post-doctoral scientist in my lab, excelling in every aspect of professional life from research to ethical standards and lab citizenship." Dr. Wiemann has co-authored 18 peer-reviewed research publications including a recent paper in Toxins. He is a frequent invited presenter at international meetings on fungal genetics. Dr. Wiemann will use the Toxins Travel Award to attend the Gordon Research Conference on Cellular and Molecular Fungal Biology in Holderness, New Hampshire, USA, June 19–24, 2016. The editors, managing editors, and editorial board members congratulate Drs. Sunagar and Wiemann on winning the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards and we are grateful to MDPI for their generous support of the awards this year and in the future. © 2016 by the author; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Announcing the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards for Announcing the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards for Post-Doctoral Fellows and Ph.D. Students Post‐Doctoral Fellows and Ph.D. Students Vernon L. Tesh Editorial
Vernon L. Tesh
Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis, Medical Research and Education Building, Room 3002, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, 8447 State Highway 47, Bryan, Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis, Medical Research and Education Building, Room 3002, TX 77807, USA; [email protected] College of Medicine, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, 8447 State Highway 47, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; [email protected] Received: 1 February 2016; Accepted: 1 February 2016; Published: 6 February 2016 Received: 1 February 2016; Accepted: 1 February 2016; Published:
With the of goal of promoting development early career career investigators thethe field of toxinology, With the goal promoting the the development of ofearly investigators inin field of toxinology, Toxins welcomed applications for the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards for post-doctoral fellows and Ph.D. Toxins welcomed applications for the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards for post‐doctoral fellows and Ph.D. students. students. We received nearly 100 completed applications for the awards, and the overall quality of all We received nearly 100 completed applications for the awards, and the overall quality of all the applications was the applications was outstanding. While this bodes well for the future of toxinology, it certainly made outstanding. While this bodes well for the future of toxinology, it certainly made for a challenging task for the for a challenging task for the editors selecting the two finalists. On behalf of the editors of Toxins, I am editors selecting the two finalists. On behalf of the editors of Toxins, I am pleased to announce the winners of the pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural Toxins Travel Awards for 2016. inaugural Toxins Travel Awards for 2016. The Toxins Travel Awards grantedto to Dr. Dr. Kartik Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow in in The Toxins Travel Awards are are granted Kartik Sunagar, Sunagar, Marie Skłodowska‐Curie Fellow Dr. Yehu Moran’s laboratory at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and to Dr. Philipp Wiemann, Dr. Yehu Moran’s laboratory at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and to Dr. Philipp Wiemann, a post-doctoral researcher Dr. Nancy Keller’s laboratory at the University Wisconsin-Madison,USA. a post‐doctoral researcher in Dr. inNancy Keller’s laboratory at the University of ofWisconsin‐Madison, USA. They will each receive 800 CHF to help support travel to present at scientific conferences in 2016. They will each receive 800 CHF to help support travel to present at scientific conferences in 2016.
Dr. Kartik Sunagar
Dr. Philipp Wiemann
Dr. Kartik Sunagar received his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Porto in Portugal in Dr. Kartik Sunagar received his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Porto 2013. In 2014, Dr. Sunagar was awarded the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie Individual Fellowship, one of the European in Portugal in 2013. In 2014, Dr. Sunagar was awarded the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Union’s most prestigious fellowships for post‐doctoral researchers. He joined Dr. Moran‘s laboratory, where he Fellowship, one of the European Union’s most prestigious fellowships for post-doctoral researchers. studies He animal to understand aspects evolutionary and ecology, particular joinedvenoms Dr. Moran‘s laboratory,various where he studiesin animal venomsbiology to understand variouswith aspects in emphasis on molecular evolution, predator–prey interactions, mechanisms of toxic action and the role evolutionary biology and ecology, with particular emphasis on molecular evolution, predator–prey of environmental and mechanisms ecological factors driving of venom—nature’s most factors complex biochemical interactions, of toxicin action andthe theevolution role of environmental and ecological in driving cocktail. In Dr. Moran’s letter of support, he wrote: “During the time Kartik spent in my lab he demonstrated the evolution of venom—nature’s most complex biochemical cocktail. In Dr. Moran’s letter of support, originality, intelligence and research skills spent that I in rarely encountered in a young researcher of a similar he wrote: "During the time Kartik my lab he demonstrated originality, intelligence andcareer stage.” Dr. Sunagar has published 15 peer‐reviewed research articles and five reviews or book chapters, including research skills that I rarely encountered in a young researcher of a similar career stage." Dr. Sunagar six papers in Toxins. He has been invited to present at a number of international conferences, including a recent has published 15 peer-reviewed research articles and five reviews or book chapters, including six oral presentation at the 18th World Congress of the International Society on Toxinology. Dr. Sunagar will use the Toxins Travel Award to attend the annual conference of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution on the Toxins 2016, 8, 41; doi:10.3390/toxins8020041 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, July 3–7, 2016.
Toxins 2015, 8, 41; doi:10.3390/toxins8020041
www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins
Toxins 2016, 8, 41
2 of 2
papers in Toxins. He has been invited to present at a number of international conferences, including a recent oral presentation at the 18th World Congress of the International Society on Toxinology. Dr. Sunagar will use the Toxins Travel Award to attend the annual conference of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, July 3–7, 2016. Dr. Philipp Wiemann received his Ph.D. in Food Chemistry summa cum laude from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany in 2010 where he worked in the laboratories of Prof. Hans-Ulrich Humpf and Prof. Bettina Tudzynski. After a brief post-doctoral fellowship in Dr. Tudzynski’s laboratory, Dr. Wiemann joined the laboratory of Dr. Nancy P. Keller at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the Keller laboratory, he has been working with Aspergillus species, including the opportunistic human pathogen A. fumigatus, and the aflatoxin producing plant pathogen A. flavus. His research mainly focuses on a specific natural product of A. fumigatus, called hexadehydroastechrome, that, when over-produced, contributes to virulence in mice. In Dr. Keller’s letter of support, she wrote: "Philipp has been a fantastic post-doctoral scientist in my lab, excelling in every aspect of professional life from research to ethical standards and lab citizenship." Dr. Wiemann has co-authored 18 peer-reviewed research publications including a recent paper in Toxins. He is a frequent invited presenter at international meetings on fungal genetics. Dr. Wiemann will use the Toxins Travel Award to attend the Gordon Research Conference on Cellular and Molecular Fungal Biology in Holderness, New Hampshire, USA, June 19–24, 2016. The editors, managing editors, and editorial board members congratulate Drs. Sunagar and Wiemann on winning the 2016 Toxins Travel Awards and we are grateful to MDPI for their generous support of the awards this year and in the future. © 2016 by the author; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
