Meet the GCC2024 keynote speakers
 | Prof. Jana Klánová Talking about Environmental health sciences Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic |
Jana Klánová is a dynamic figure in environmental chemistry, currently serving as a professor at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. With a rich background in mathematics and chemistry, she has established herself as a leading expert in chemical pollution, environmental health, and multidisciplinary sciences.
Since 2013, Jana has directed the RECETOX Centre and RECETOX Research Infrastructure at the Faculty of Science. Her deep knowledge and expertise have placed her at the forefront of European environmental research. She is the coordinator of the first European Exposome infrastructure, EIRENE RI, and a partner in the European partnership program PARC.
Jana is passionate about building exchange partnerships and training programs across Europe. Her research interests focus on environmental health sciences, particularly environmental determinants of health. She is a member of the ESFRI Strategic Working Group on Environment and the Czech national Board on Large Infrastructures for Research and Innovation. Jana leads the Group of Earth Observation Initiative GOS4POPs and has been involved in numerous large-scale projects.
 | Ute Gunsenheimer Talking about Science policy and implementation Secretary General EOSC Association Brussels, Belgium |
Ute Gunsenheimer joined the EOSCsecretariat.eu project in June 2021 and assumed the role of Secretary General in November 2021, overseeing the establishment of the Association. Previously, she served as Head of External Relations & EU Projects at the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden, where she managed stakeholder relations and grant participations. Earlier in her career, Ute was the managing director of the International Communications Unit at Media Consulta International Holding AG in Berlin. She holds a master’s degree in history and politics.
 | Dr. Daria Onichtchouk Talking about Gastrulation, pluripotency, and transcriptional networks Universtity of Freiburg Freiburg, Germany |
Daria Onichtchouk's research centers on the process of gastrulation in vertebrates, a highly conserved process involving the transition from cellular pluripotency to early germ layer precursors. Pluripotent cells, initially capable of differentiating into various cell types, are controlled by transcription factors. Recent studies in zebrafish, conducted by Daria and her team, suggest that key transcription factors involved in pluripotency control in mammalian embryonic stem (ES) cells, such as Pou5f1/Oct4 and members of the SoxB1 group, play critical roles in coordinating gene expression during gastrulation.
Daria’s research has shown that many genes targeted by Pou5f1 in zebrafish are also important in the stem cell circuitry of mammalian ES cell cultures. Daria's work aims to further understand the evolution and functioning of transcriptional networks governing pluripotency, utilizing the zebrafish model system.