April 14, 2026
We had the honor to host
Dr. Sophia Maschalidi from NIMSB, who gave a talk on
“Cell clearance and tissue repair”
Dr. Niccolò Zampieri from MDC, who gave a talk on
“Motor signatures as predictive biomarkers of healthy aging and neurological disease”
Dr. Sophia Maschalidi Short Bio
Dr. Sophia Maschalidi is the leader of the Phagocytosis and Tissue Repair Lab at the VIB Center for Inflammation Research and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology at Ghent University, Belgium. She completed her PhD at the Curie Institute in Paris, where she studied the role of phagocytes in antigen sensing and presentation, and later conducted research at the Imagine Institute on immune disorders such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). As a Marie Curie fellow in the laboratory of Professor Kodi Ravichandran, she further expanded her work in the field of phagocytosis. Her current research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of cell clearance and their role in tissue homeostasis, repair, and immune regulation. Her work has been widely published in high-impact journals and recognized through competitive funding, patents, and international speaking invitations.
Dr. Niccolò Zampieri Short Bio
Dr. Niccolò Zampieri is a Senior Group Leader at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin, Germany. His research focuses on understanding how neural circuits develop and function to control movement, with particular emphasis on the organization of spinal circuits that integrate sensory information and motor commands. He trained in molecular neuroscience in the laboratories of Moses Chao, Lawrence Shapiro, and Thomas Jessell, studying the mechanisms that guide neuronal development and circuit assembly. Since establishing his laboratory in 2014, he has led multiple research projects funded by competitive grants, including support from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence. In 2022, he was promoted to a tenured Senior Group Leader position.