Helle D. Ulrich

Helle D. Ulrich is a Professor at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Scientific Director at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) since 2013. Her research focuses on regulatory mechanisms ensuring accurate DNA duplication, particularly in response to DNA damage, using posttranslational modifiers like ubiquitin and SUMO.

• Education: Habilitation in Genetics (2000-2004), University of Marburg; PhD in Chemistry (1992-1996), University of California, Berkeley; Diploma in Biology (1988-1994), University of Göttingen.

Research Interests

Her lab investigates DNA damage bypass during replication, ubiquitin/SUMO signaling dynamics, and tools for genome-wide analysis. Key areas include:

• Postreplicative repair territories (PORTs) formation
• Role of ubiquitin chain linkages in template switching
• Chromatin’s contribution to genome maintenance
• Development of GLOE-Seq for mapping single-strand breaks

Scientific Awards & Honors

• ERC Advanced Grant (2013)
• EMBO Young Investigator Award (2003-2006)
• BioFuture Award (2001-2006)
• Election to Leopoldina (2021)

Her work combines molecular biology, imaging, and CRISPR-based tools to address DNA replication fidelity and genome stability in yeast and mammalian systems.