Heike Blockus

Heike Blockus has a diverse work experience spanning over several companies and roles. In 2008, Heike worked as a Marketing Intern at BASF, where they managed client relations and portfolio management. Heike then went on to work as a Research Fellow at Gustave Roussy in 2009. After that, in 2010, they had an Internship Trainee role at Bayer Pharmaceuticals, focusing on drug discovery and executing assays. Later in 2010, Heike worked as a Research Fellow at New York University. From 2014 to 2016, they were a Trainee at the League of European Research Universities (LERU). In 2020, Heike worked as a Scientific Consultant at Stealth Biotech, identifying novel targets in neurodegenerative diseases. From 2016 to 2021, they worked as a Postdoctoral K99/R00 Fellow at Columbia University, conducting cellular analysis and studying synaptic specificity. Currently, Heike is working at Verge Genomics as an Associate Principal Scientist and has a role as a Senior Scientist, where they validate all-in human AI platform targets for neurodegeneration.

Heike Blockus holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Neurodevelopment/Neuroscience from Sorbonne Université, which was obtained from 2011 to 2015. Prior to this, they completed their Master's degree in Molecular Biomedicine at The University of Bonn, from 2006 to 2011. Additionally, Heike Blockus has received several certifications, including a certification in Drug Discovery from UC San Diego and the title of Leading Edge Fellow from Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Janelia. Heike was also awarded the K99/R00 fellowship from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). In 2016, they received the European Young Researcher Award for Scientific Excellence, outstanding leadership, and outreach from EuroScience.