Rukmini Mukherjee was awarded with one of the prestigious Research Fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which enable postdoctoral researchers from abroad to pursue their next career step in Germany.

The proposed project focuses on a selective autophagy process which targets the endoplasmic reticulum (ER phagy). The molecular events driving ER phagy still remain elusive, but it is well known that the reticulon family of proteins (RTNs) plays a key role in the process. Rukmini’s project now aims at deciphering the molecular function of reticulons in ER phagy using high resolution microscopy and biochemistry.

Rukmini received funding for 24 months and will be situated in Ivan Dikic’s lab at Link zu GU Press Release. The Humboldt Foundation strongly supports early-career scientists of all nationalities and scientific disciplines who wish to gain research experience in Germany, and grants approximately 450 - 500 Research Fellowships for postdoctoral researchers and experienced scientists annually.