About the Group Members

Dr. Linda Anna Michelle Kulka

Gruppenleiterin / Beauftragte für biologische Sicherheit

Room: D.D.08

+49 (0) 345 55 21666

linda.kulka@chemie.uni-halle.de

Linda studied biochemistry at the University of Leipzig and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. For her PhD, she investigated proteasomal shuttling factors in neurodegenerative diseases, after which she joined the Weissenborn research group. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and travelling as much as possible.

Dr. Lewis Thomas-Hargreaves

Gruppenleiter / Leitung Analytik

Room: D.D.08

+49 (0) 345 55 21666

lewis.thomas-hargreaves@chemie.uni-halle.de

Lewis completed his MChem in Chemistry with Study in Industry at the University of Sheffield, followed by a PhD in organometallic f-block complexes at the University of Manchester. He then completed a Postdoc in beryllium chemistry at the Philips-Universität Marburg, before starting the role of group and analytical leader here with us in Halle in 2023. In his free time, Lewis figure skates, and very much enjoys being as "flexible" as possible.

Dr. Mahdi Bagherpoor Helabad

Computational Biomolecular Modeling Group Leader

Room: D.D.08

+49 (0) 345 55 21666

mahdi.b-helabad@chemie.uni-halle.de

Mahdi completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Physics at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (Iran). He obtained his PhD in computational biophysics from the Physics Department of the Freie Universität Berlin. He subsequently completed a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and then undertook a second postdoc at the Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics,  Leipzig university. In 2024, Mahdi joined the institute in Halle as a  computational research group leader. In his free time, Mahdi enjoys  playing music, having tea with friends and colleagues, and spending  quality time with his family, especially his little daughter.

Anne Hauptmann

Sekretariat

+49 (0) 345 55 25661

anne.hauptmann@chemie.uni-halle.de

Coming from Naumburg, Anne spent time in the USA, then partially studied Business Administration in Stendal and Biology in Halle before turning her hand to working in the University Administration here in Halle. In her free time, Anne plays guitar fantastically and enthusiastically, and goes to dance classes with her partner.

Bonnie Winter

Doktorandin

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

bonnie.winter@chemie.uni-halle.de

Bonnie studied Chemistry at the University of Leipzig, before joining the Weissenborn group to pursue her interest in enzyme engineering. Her research focuses on converting bulky substrates, ranging from "new-to-nature" cyclic sesquiterpenes oxidized by unspecific peroxygenases to the mycotoxin Deoxynivalenol detoxified with Glutathione S-transferases, ideally predicting the outcomes in silico using docking studies. Outside the lab, Bonnie enjoys taking a walk at the Saale river when the mountains are too far away, and she is always up for a football or bouldering session.

Niklas Dietz

Doktorand

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

niklas.dietz@chemie.uni-halle.de

Niklas studied Biochemistry at Martin Luther University. He joined the group in late 2021 for an internship and stayed for his master’s thesis. Since 2023, he has been pursuing a PhD, focusing on engineering Unspecific Peroxygenases for the selective hydroxylation of amines.

Li Wan

Doktorand

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

li.wan@chemie.uni-halle.de

Li completed his Bachelor in Environmental Engineering at the Harbin Institute of Technology, followed by a Masters in biochemical engineering at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. He then moved over to Halle in 2023 to pursue his PhD in the Weissenborn group, with a focus on machine learning guided enzyme engineering. Li seems to be ‘learning’ to swim without much real progress (and he is fine with this, but prefers to complain about it!).

Anton Meier

Doktorand

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

anton.meier@chemie.uni-halle.de

After studying Biochemistry at the Greifswald University for his undergraduate and graduate program, Anton joined the Weissenborn group in November 2023 for his PhD. His research is part of the ribosome project, which focuses on the improving D-amino acid incorporation through ribosome engineering, thus enabling him to follow his deep passion for the ribosome. Anton gladly takes on additional responsibilites in our group, such as organizing the Christmas party or overseeing the PhD hat crafting, just to name a few. Besides his work, he likes to fill his time with collecting license plates, set new pinball records, and cooking noodle dishes.

Benedikt Golisch

Doktorand

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

benedikt.golisch@chemie.uni-halle.de

Benedikt studied chemistry at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and continued with his Master’s degree at the University of British Columbia elucidating the degradation of polysaccharides such as mixed-linkage beta-glucan. In our group, he investigates the biochemical limitations  of in vitro translation using E. coli ribosomes. Apart from that, he is always open for a “Mugge”, board game night or outdoor activity.

Emil Zickler

Doktorand

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

emil.zickler@chemie.uni-halle.de

Emil studied Pharmacy at the University of Jena and did his Diploma thesis in Jena and the NCGM in Tokyo working on lipidomics of mammalian cells. He then decided to completely switch topics to pursue enzymatic degradation of waste polymers. In his free time he likes to play volleyball, go bouldering or learn foreign languages.

Clara Vogt

Doktorandin

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

clara.vogt@chemie.uni-halle.de

Clara's research focuses on engineering unspecific peroxygenases (UPOs) for specific applications, and how their adaptive evolution is shaped by intramolecular interactions (epistasis). She studied Biochemistry in her undergraduate program and Chemistry in her graduate program, both at Leipzig University. Her Master's thesis was focused on characterizing bacterial poly(A) polymerases, and she then joined the Weissenborn group in January 2025 to continue her research in the protein field. In her free time, she enjoys bouldering and climbing, racing her road bike against unknowing commuters, and reading

Maximillian Hoffmann

Master's Student with Dr. Bagherpoor Helabad

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

Max studied Biochemistry for his Bachelor and is currently completing his Master thesis in Biochemistry at the Free University of Berlin. He was originally interested in protein crystallography, but turned towards computational protein engineering via a research stay at Copenhagen University and has been part of the group since late summer  2025. He is an enthusiast for rail transportation, curries and Falafel, still trying to find places in Halle to satisfy his need for a good ol' Spaziergang.

Helena Mark

Bachelor's student and former HiWi

Room D.D.10

+49 (0) 345 55 21667

Helena is currently completing her Bachelor studies in Biochemistry at the University of Halle. In addition to her studies she has been working as a HiWi in the Weissenborn group for over a year, where she will soon start to work on her Bachelor’s thesis. In her free time, Helena is involved in voluntary work for the student council and likes to try a new dance class every few weeks.