We are delighted to introduce two new group leaders who have recently joined the Zurich neuroscience landscape. In the interviews below, they share their research focus, motivation, and what excites them about working in Zurich. We also warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Akanksha Jain to the ZNZ community, who is featured separately in this issue’s Spotlight interview.
Name: Maria Consolata Miletta
Position: Group Leader
Institute: Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn (LRF-NGN Center), Department of Neonatology, University of Zurich & University Hospital Zurich (USZ), Zurich, Switzerland
Research focus: My research focuses on understanding how nutritional and metabolic signals shape human brain development and function. I am especially interested in developing and testing nutrition-based interventions for vulnerable populations, including individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa and vulnerable newborns. By using human iPSC-derived cellular models, my work aims to dissect how early-life and disease-related nutritional cues influence neuronal function, metabolic regulation, and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Last professional stations: Before joining the LRF-NGN Center, I was an SNSF-funded postdoctoral researcher at the School of Medicine, Yale University (USA), where my research focused on the hypothalamic circuitry and metabolic mechanisms involved in anorexia nervosa.
My motivation to do my research: Knowing that our research could eventually benefit others is what makes this work so rewarding for me.
One thing you shouldn’t miss, when you stay in Zurich: I’d say the Old Town and the lake. Zurich is really about the balance between city life and nature.
Contact: maria.miletta@uzh.ch ; X: @c_miletta
Institutional Website: Group Leaders | Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Center for Neurodevelopment, Growth and Nutrition of the Newborn | UZH
Name: Sarah Mundt
Position: Group Leader, Neuroimmunology
Institute: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich
Research focus: My research focuses on how immune cells shape inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, with a special focus on monocytes and macrophages and how they change once they enter the central nervous system. By combining single-cell profiling, advanced imaging, and targeted perturbations in preclinical models, I aim to map the signals and niches that push these cells toward harmful versus protective states. The goal is to identify concrete, safe targets that can help improve diagnosis and treatment for chronic neuroinflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Last professional station: Junior Group Leader, Neuroimmunology, Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich
My motivation to do my research: I’ve always cared about understanding diseases of the central nervous system because they can change a person’s life so quickly and so deeply. My goal is to figure out how these diseases work and to help identify safe, effective targets that could one day improve diagnosis and treatment.
One thing you shouldn’t miss, when you stay in Zurich: A swim in the “Badi Unterer Letten” and sunset at the Waid (Käferberg), enjoying the gorgeous view of Zurich (it’s also beautiful during the day).
Contact: www.neuroimmunology.ch
Title Image: unsplash