Meet the Scientists of Tomorrow

Dr Roman Vuerich is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Vascular Signalling, Goethe University Frankfurt (Prof. Ingrid Fleming). His research bridges vascular biology and regenerative medicine, leveraging preclinical mouse models, advanced vascular imaging and single-cell multi-omics to map microvascular remodelling and therapeutic angiogenesis. During his PhD in Molecular Biomedicine (University of Trieste/ICGEB, 2024; Prof. Serena Zacchigna), he studied endothelial-cardiomyocyte communication and developed strategies to restore the pro-angiogenic and regenerative capacity of the adult heart. He now investigates endothelial–pericyte crosstalk and lactate- and lipid-driven metabolic-epigenetic reprogramming that shapes endothelial plasticity, fibrosis and organ dysfunction in myocardial infarction and cardiometabolic disease, aiming to identify targetable reprogramming mechanisms for next-generation vascular therapies. 

Roman has received multiple ESC Young Investigator and Best Oral Presentation awards, as well as the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Award and the EU Health Award. 

Dr. Verena Schwach is an assistant professor in the Applied Stem Cell Technologies group in the Department of BioEngineering Technologies at the University of Twente. There she leads research at the interface of stem‑cell biology and advanced tissue modeling to study cardiac development and disease. Her group integrates CRISPR‑based technologies with organ‑on‑chip technology to develop multi‑organ microphysiological systems for disease modeling and predictive cardiac safety. 
She looks forward to joining the ESC SOT as a valuable opportunity to exchange expertise, foster collaborations, and contribute to shaping the future of cardiovascular research. 

Area of expertise: cardio-immunology, ischemic cardiomyopathy, acute myocardial infarction, amyloidosis

Dr. Panagiota Efstathia Nikolaou earned her PhD in 2022 from the Laboratory of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, in collaboration with the Department of Clinical Therapeutics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Since 2017, her research has focused on elucidating myocardial injury mechanisms in acute myocardial infarction and heart failure, with an emphasis on novel cardioprotective strategies. She is particularly interested in multidisciplinary approaches advancing cardiac amyloidosis research.
Her current work explores bone marrow cell interactions and signalling in cardiovascular pathophysiology. She has collaborated with leading experts in cardiology and trained at institutions including Justus-Liebig-University, the Hatter Cardiovascular Institute, the National Amyloidosis Center (UCL), and the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences. Dr. Nikolaou has received national (H.F.R.I.) and international (IMS) funding and has presented her work globally, earning prestigious honors and awards (ESC, CBFH, ISA, etc.).

Area of expertise: myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, cardioimmunology, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis.
In 2023, Dr. Hardy completed his PhD candidature as an international collaboration between the University of Newcastle (Australia, his home institution), and the Medical University of Graz (Austria), conducting research on campus at both institutions throughout. He then obtained a fellowship at St John’s College Oxford, funding an independent research program until 2027. The work he is conducting under this fellowship is investigating vascular, immune and fibrotic responses in both the early onset of cardiovascular diseases, and the later wound healing stages. One branch of his work is utilizing translational models to trial the therapeutic potential of stimulating angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis after myocardial infarction. The other is identifying novel therapeutic targets involved in the early development of coronary microvascular disease, which often precedes large coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. Dr. Hardy’s ongoing work has been supported by St John’s College, the British Heart Foundation, the Austrian Society of Cardiology, the Hunter Medical Research Institute and the Emlyn and Jennie Thomas medical research family.

Area of expertise: pathophysiology of valvular heart diseases. 
Dr Romain Capoulade obtained his PhD in Experimental Medicine from Laval University in Québec, Canada in 2014, where he investigated the metabolic determinants associated with the development of calcific aortic valve stenosis. He pursued his career at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, working on pathologies affecting the mitral valve. 
Following these two international experiences, Romain joined the INSERM U1087 laboratory in Nantes, France, and developed a research program focused on the understanding and characterization of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the development and progression of heart valve diseases. His research is supported by national (ANR, French Society of Cardiology, French Federation of Cardiology) and European grants (ERA-CVD, Marie Sklodowska Curie IF). In 2020, he was elected as a member of the young researcher nucleus at the French research group on cardiovascular diseases and implemented actions dedicated to young scientists working in the field.

Area of expertise: dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, adaptive immune response and T lymphocytes. 

Dr. Bonacina is Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Milan (Italy). She obtained the PhD at the University of Milan working on inflammation in cardiometabolic diseases, then she moved to the Cardiovascular Immunology Lab at the Queen Mary University of London, where she investigated Tcell activation under dyslipidemia. 
Combining the expertise on lipid metabolism and immune response, the goal of her current research is to identify novel molecular targets to prevent immune-inflammatory activation in cardio-metabolic diseases taking advantage from humanized models. 
Dr. Bonacina received inter/and national awards and grants (Cariplo and Roche Foundations, Ministry of University and Research) for her work and is member of the European Lipoprotein Club OC and of the Young Fellows of the European Atherosclerosis Society.