Prof. Dr. Frauke Melchior, long-time member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Chica and Heinz Schaller -Foundation and PI at the Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH) was announced recipient of the 2018 FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award. The prize honours  Prof. Melchior for outstanding achievements in the life sciences and also for guiding and mentoring young researchers as well as her open and cooperative way of doing science.  News about Prof. Melchior’s work can be found on her website. More information about the prize can be found on the EMBO webpage. Article adapted from the Bioscience faculty website, picture credit: Sabine Arndt.

Prof. Dr. Valery Grinevich has joined the Central Institute for Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim as Department Head for of the new department “Neuropeptide research in psychiatry”. Valery was one of the first five Schaller Group leaders recruited in 2012 and headed his laboratory focusing on neuropeptide research.  In Mannheim his department will focus on the dissection of the mechanisms of neuropeptide action in the brain, from molecular – via anatomical – to the whole organism level. They are employing viral, opto- and chemogenetical, electrophysiological  and behavioral approaches to study the effects of various neuropeptides (primarily oxytocin, OT) within the distinct brain regions controlling stress and fear responses, maternal and social behavior. Excitingly, his group’s most recent work was just published in Neuron: “A Fear Memory Engram and Its Plasticity in the Hypothalamic Oxytocin System”, Neuron. 2019, doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2019.04.029. More information about his group is available in German on the ZI-Website: Click me!

a Founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation. Chica Schaller was an internationally renowned neuroscientist, who was one of the founding members of Center for Molecular Neurobiology in Hamburg, where she was the Director of the Department of Developmental Neurobiology. Having started her career as a linguist, she passionately wrote books and poems till her demise. Inspired by the groundbreaking work of her husband, the late Prof. Dr. Heinz Schaller, a pioneer in the field of Virology, Chica Schaller later went on to study Molecular Biology at the University of Tübingen.Chica Schaller was also known for her dedicated support and mentorship of junior scientists. Together with Heinz Schaller, she founded the Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation to support innovative biomedical research, especially in the fields of Neurobiology and Infectious Disorders. She was a role model for women in science and was actively involved in supporting young researchers until her demise. Her legacy will live on in the Foundation and in the many lives she has touched. Her legacy will live on in the foundation and in the many lives she has touched. Heidelberg, October 28, 2019 The board of Directors and the Scientific Advisory Board

Professor Ralf Bartenschlager is going to be honoured with the 2019 Prince Mahidol Award for Medical Research. This annual award honours outstanding medical reseach that has had a profound impact on our lives, adn is sponsored by the Royal Family of Thailand. The full laudatio can be found here. Professor Bartenschlager has been afiiliated with the foundation for almost 20 years, having held the Chica and Heinz Schaller Endowed Chair for Molecular Virology from 2002 to 2012 and having served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Foundation before joining the Board of Directors this year. More information about his work can be found here.

We are very honoured to announce, that Professor Ralf Bartenschlager (Virology) has joined the Board of Directors of the Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation. Professor Bartenschlager did his PhD with Heinz Schaller at the ZMBH and is a world-renown virologist. Besides his numerous awards, including the 2016 Lasker Debakey Award,  the Hector Award and the Prince Mahidol Research Award (2019),  he also has a long-standing affiliation with the Foundation Fom 2002 to 2012 he held the Chica and Heinz Schaller Endowed Chair “Molecular Virology” and has since served as an active member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Chica and Heinz Schaller-Foundation.

We are excited to announce the 1st international Chica and Heinz Schaller (CHS) Virology e-Symposium, which will be held virtually on April 22-23, 2021. The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic emphasizes the importance of studying viruses and their biology and the necessity to communicate and discuss the latest research, despite the very limited personal interactions. This symposium aims for bringing together senior investigators and junior scientists in an interactive fashion to discuss the latest topics in Virology. In addition, high-quality oral and poster presentations will be selected from submitted abstracts. Confirmed plenary speakers: Kartik Chandran (Albert Einstein College of Medicine/US) Angela Ciuffi (Lausanne University Hospital/CH) Andreas Pichlmair (Technical University Munich/GER) Alexander Ploss (Princeton University/US) Charlotte Uetrecht (HPI Hamburg/GER) Yohei Yamauchi (Bristol University/GB) Organizers: Petr Chlanda and Viet Loan Dao Thi (CHS group leaders @ University Hospital Heidelberg) Please register at: chsvirologysymposium.konfeo.com/en/groups Contact: chsvirologysymposium@gmail.com