Lydia Herzel

Lydia Herzel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Freie Universität Berlin, affiliated with the Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy. Her research focuses on RNA dynamics, particularly mRNA regulation in fungi and bacteria, combining biochemistry, bioinformatics, and molecular biology. She leads the Herzel Group, which explores co-transcriptional RNA regulation and its impact on gene expression outcomes. The group employs advanced RNA sequencing and biochemical techniques to study transcriptome diversity and regulatory mechanisms.

Her work spans topics such as RNA splicing, mRNA decay, and the interplay between transcription and post-transcriptional processes. Key areas include understanding how regulatory mechanisms influence fungal pathogenesis (e.g., Candida albicans) and bacterial gene expression. She collaborates on projects involving synthetic biology, codon usage, and functional genomics.

Recent studies highlight her group’s contributions to understanding spliceosome function in morphogenesis and the development of novel clathrin inhibitors. She actively mentors students, including Javier Callís Creus, a former bachelor’s thesis student. The lab seeks motivated researchers interested in integrating biochemistry, microbiology, and bioinformatics.

Her research has been published in high-impact journals such as Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Nucleic Acids Research, and mBio. Her work bridges fundamental biology with biomedical applications, aiming to translate regulatory insights into therapeutic strategies.