Martinez PhD Fellowship in Computational Cancer Biology

  • The EICSE Association is pleased to be able to offer a unique opportunity via a dedicated donation by the Martinez Family for fellowship funding of 2 PhD students per year for the next 4 years
  • Eligible Ph.D. students should have passed the candidacy exam brilliantly and be nominated by their supervisor with the approval of the president of the committee
  • The fellowship will cover the Ph.D. student’s salary for 2 years
  • Based on the number of nominations selected, D. students could be invited for a short interview with the awardee committee chaired by the ISREC Director
  • Students who apply must be carrying out research in a lab which is an EICSE member
  • Interested students can contact the ISREC Administration, Lisa Smith for more information.


Meet our latest Fellowship recipient for 2026/27


David Domjan - Thomä Lab

 My research investigates how transcription factors (TFs) recruit SWI/SNF (BAF) chromatin remodeling complexes, which are collectively mutated or dysregulated in approximately 20% of human cancers. BAF cooperates with a subset of the ~1,600 human TFs to regulate enhancer activity and exists in highly heterogeneous assemblies composed of combinatorial subunit variants. Yet, the structural basis of these interactions remains largely uncharted.

I focus particularly on nuclear hormone receptor TFs while also addressing the broader landscape of BAF–TF engagement. To do so, I combine large-scale AlphaFold-based modeling with cryo-electron microscopy and biochemical approaches. In parallel, I am establishing a quantitative crosslinking mass spectrometry pipeline to complement cryo-electron microscopy and connect structural predictions with biochemical data, enabling robust validation of interaction models. Together, this integrative framework aims to mechanistically characterize how the BAF–TF interactions shape chromatin accessibility and reprogram gene expression during oncogenesis.


Our 2 Fellowship recipients for 2025/26

Camille Lambert - Deplancke Lab

My research develops innovative methods to analyze multimodal single-cell datasets combining high-resolution imaging with transcriptomics. Using technology from the Laboratory of Systems Biology and Genetics, I am building an interpretable machine learning framework to link cellular morphology to function and molecular profiles. In collaboration with the Aceto lab (ETHZ), a leader in CTC biology, I aim to uncover relationships between CTC morphology and gene expression, shedding light on cancer progression. This work seeks to identify novel CTC subtypes with distinct phenotypes, such as tissue origin, immune modulation, and metastatic potential.


Schuyler Stoller - Waszak Lab

My doctoral research aims to develop computational methods that leverage cell-free genomes derived from circulating DNA in biofluids for reconstructing cancer genomes, cancer types, and tumour microenvironments. We apply these techniques in clinical trial settings for young patients with brain tumours with the aim to establish cell free genomics as a new standard for disease monitoring and diagnosis.








ALUMNI 2027